Tangerine-hued bulbs of heat burst with a roaring phump! from the gas grill, before thinning out into wavering flames and enveloping a heap of coconut husks. The pebbled copper tiles lining Nanhai No. 1’s live grilling station fog up as the natural fuel source blackens and curls at its edges – while also giving off an awful lot of smoke. So much so that chef KS Suen steps back slightly as he flips a big headed river prawn, on a metal grid above the blazing husks, the seafood turning purple to red as they cook.

For a moment, diners gazing at the exposed grill may forget they’re in a Chinese restaurant and not a steakhouse. Though traditional Chinese cooking employs various methods such as stir-frying, steaming, deep-frying and braising, grilling is not usually incorporated into the repertoire of a Chinese chef who has been classically trained. “These methods involve a lot of effort and skill,” Suen says of the traditional techniques, adding that the Chinese favourite char siu (barbecued pork) is technically roasted because of the absence of a sizzling metal grate in its cooking process. “Grilling, on the other hand, is a very simple way to cook.” The ease and distinctiveness of this method may be why a few contemporary Chinese restaurants in Hong Kong – including Yin Yang, Yun Fu and Nanhai No. 1 – have recently begun integrating it into their menus.

Nanhai No. 1, which opened in iSquare in May, has a number of grilled seafood items on its menu, including oysters, razor clams, the aforementioned big head river prawns and more. The Zheng He-inspired restaurant, a pioneering Chinese naval explorer from the 15th century, decided to run with the seafaring theme in its menu and give guests a wider variety of foods to choose from. “Zheng incorporated a lot of different foods and cooking methods that he discovered in his travels into Chinese cuisine,” Suen explains. “He grilled seafood on deck using coconut husks, a method adopted from Indonesia that gives food a smokey flavour.”

Chef On Fong of Yun Fu, a Wyndham Street eatery from the Aqua Group, was excited when the restaurant managers wanted to introduce skewers. “My imagination just started going,” says On, who trained as a barbecue chef. “I had to make them different, though – traditional with a twist.” As part of Yun Fu’s “China Spiced Skewers” promotion, which runs through August, On has created seven recipes that incorporate northern Chinese and Sichuan spices. Examples include dried tofu marinated with star anise and licorice, stuffed with minced prawn; five-spiced beef tenderloin; and lamb brisket with Xizang cumin – all cooked over a firestone grill.

At Yin Yang in Wan Chai, chef Margaret Xu Yuan features grilled sustainable fish and her signature Yellow Earth Chicken, which can be cooked over a charcoal or gas grill and has even been featured in Gourmet. Xu Yuan prefers grilling to traditional deep-frying because it’s healthier. “Grilling is an old method, but it’s evolved now,” she says, noting “It’s a new trend in fusion cooking. You can see bits of Thai, Japanese and South-East Asian styles in Chinese restaurants, so that’s why we’re seeing more grilled dishes nowadays.”

One of the reasons we haven’t seen many grilled foods on Chinese menus before is because people think they have too much “yang” or heat, explains Xu Yuan. Balance, however, can be reached by stabilising the components of sight, smell and taste. “It’s the aroma of grilled foods that people love, so along with the golden or brown colour and the great taste, it all adds up,” she says.

But will grilled foods make the leap from contemporary Chinese menus to traditional ones? “I don’t think it will be a part of mainstream Chinese cuisine, but it’s important that we innovate all the time,” says On. “We’re trying it and if people like it, the skewers could become a part of the regular menu – you never know.” Suen remains more sceptical, mainly because “grilled dishes don’t make much of a profit for restaurants,” he says, continuing, “Because traditional dishes require more skillful preparation and cooking technique, the restaurants can charge more for them. Grilling will remain a specialty.”

Others are more optimistic. Xu Yuan explains that Chinese chefs are using more imported ingredients such as lemongrass, goose liver and truffles, and may adopt foreign methods sometime down the line. “Cooking is an art, but many chefs stick to the traditional methods and can’t venture outside their frames. However, when they come to my place and try my grilled chicken, they’re shocked to find out that I didn’t use the same brushstrokes.”