Dishes · A classic of Teochew · Chaozhou and Shantou
Teochew braised goose
Also Lou sui goose, Lou goose, Chaozhou braised goose, Lu e
A whole goose simmered in a dark, spiced master stock of soy, galangal and rock sugar, sliced thin and served with garlic vinegar.
What makes it teochew braised goose
A whole goose, simmered and turned in the stock rather than roasted.
A master stock of light and dark soy, galangal, star anise, cinnamon and rock sugar — fragrant rather than sweet.
Sliced thin and served with a dip of garlic in rice vinegar.
Where it comes from
Lou — braising in a stock that is kept and topped up, sometimes for decades — is the pride of Chaoshan, and goose is its grandest subject. The big lion-head geese of Chenghai, near Shantou, are the most prized, and a braised goose is a festival and ancestor-offering dish as well as shop food.
The goose is sliced thin over a little of the stock, often with braised tofu and eggs from the same pot. Teochew cooks in Hong Kong, Bangkok and Singapore carried it with them, and in Chiuchow restaurants it is usually the first thing ordered.
How it varies
Lou duck
The same stock with duck — cheaper, and the usual version abroad.
Goose head and wings
Sold separately and much prized, especially the head of an old lion-head goose.
Lou platter
Goose with braised tofu, eggs, pork belly and intestines from the same pot.