The Adventures of Fat RiceRECIPES FROM THE CHICAGO RESTAURANT INSPIRED BY MACAU
With 100 recipes, this is the first book to explore the vibrant food culture of Macau—an east-meets-west melting pot of Chinese, Portuguese, Malaysian, and Indian foodways—as seen through the lens of the cult favorite Chicago restaurant, Fat Rice.
An hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong, on the banks of the Pearl River in China, lies Macau—a modern, cosmopolitan city with an unexpected history. For centuries, Macau was one of the world’s greatest trading ports: a Portuguese outpost and crossroads along the spice route, where travelers from Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and mainland China traded resources, culture, and food. The Adventures of Fat Rice is the story of how two Chicago chefs discovered and fell in love with this fascinating and, at least until now, unheralded cuisine. With dishes like Minchi (a classic Macanese meat hash), Po Kok Gai (a Portuguese-influenced chicken curry with chouriço and olives), and Arroz Gordo (if paella and fried rice had a baby), now you, too, can bring the eclectic and wonderfully unique—yet enticingly familiar—flavors of Macau into your own kitchen.
“What a captivating book! With it, I uncovered the roots of Portuguese cooking and the indelible mark it made on the world. I reveled in the beautiful way Portuguese blended with Chinese in the kitchens of Macau. But most of all, I discovered why the food at Chicago’s incredibly popular restaurant Fat Rice is so utterly delicious. This book opens up a whole new world of flavor!” — Rick Bayless, chef and owner of Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and Xoco
“When you read these recipes, it’s like you just found the secret ingredients that were buried away in a treasure chest somewhere in the Pearl River Delta. The Adventures of Fat Rice is a must-have for home (and Jupiter) chefs.” — Kool Keith, artist and rapper
“Along with the book’s visual pop, the evocative introduction and recipe headnotes full of history and stories makes this a cookbook worth owning as a compelling read.” – EATER NATIONAL
“Chances are you’re unfamiliar with Macanese cuisine, from the small peninsula of Macau near Hong Kong. But spend an evening with this comic book-cookbook hybrid, and you’ll be hooked on the fare that makes theChicago restaurant of the same name so beloved.” – TASTING TABLE
“Chicago restaurant Fat Rice draws its recipes from Macau, a port city that blends the flavors of the Portuguese who once settled there with the foods of the various Asian traders who moved through the area. The result is a punchy, bold cuisine of bacalao and grilled seafood, noodles of all shapes and size, and the titular fat rice (arroz gored). And did I mention Fat Rice is a comic book? Yup: throughout the cookbook are step-by-step, comic book–style instructions for making crispy rice or stir-frying fat noodles, as well as comic book covers depicting Fat Rice dishes like Crazy Squid and Pato de Cabidela (duck cooked in blood).” – EPICURIOUS
“Stan Lee and other comic book creators can literally eat their hearts out, as the format of the traditional cookbook continues to evolve. The latest to challenge the standard: The Adventures of Fat Rice.” – EATER
CONTENTS
Introduction 1
Equipment and Techniques 19
1 Achar e Conservas
Pickles and Preserves 31
Esmargal (Mackerel Pickle) 33
Sweet Soy Burdock 34
Ramp Pickle 34
Charlie’s Peanuts 37
Lemon Achar (Preserved Lemon Pickle) 38
Singapore Sour Cabbage 39
Diabo Pickle 40
Ginger Achar (Ginger Pickle) 41
Jumpwater Pickle 44
2 Entradas
Appetizers 47
Curried Vegetable Chamuças 49
Minchi (Minced Beef and Pork) Croquettes 53
Potstickers Royale with Crispy Crepe 59
Brinjal Sambal (Spicy Sweet-and-Sour Eggplant) 64
3 Arroz
Rice 67
Arroz Gordo (“Fat Rice”) 69
Coconut Rice 75
Basic Fried Rice 77
Baked Pork Chop Rice 82
4 Massas
Noodles 85
Lacassà (Macanese Rice Vermicelli Stir-Fry) 86
Sopa de Lacassà (Rice Vermicelli Soup with Prawns) 92
Fat Noodles 94
Fat Noodles with XO Sauce 97
Fat Noodles with Mushrooms and Egg 103
5 Legumes
Vegetables 105
Dry-Fried Asparagus with Minchi and Peixinhos Fritos 107
Stir-Fried Greens with Green Papaya, Mushroom, and Mackerel Pickle 110
Malay-Style Vegetable Curry 114
Tchai de Bonzo (Buddha’s Delight) 119
Bebinca de Rabano (XO Daikon Cake) 122
6 Piexe e Mariscos
Fish and Seafood 125
Empada de Peixe (“Macanese” Fish Pie) 126
Crazy Squid Rice 132
Chilli Prawns 136
“Portuguese” Barbecued Seafood with Big Ben’s Sambal 139
Bacalhau de Vóvó (Salt Cod Spread) 141
Bacalhau al Forno (Oven-Baked Salt Cod) 144
Salade de Tau-Fu com Chatchini de Bacalhau (Soft Tofu Salad with Crispy Golden Salt Cod “Chutney”) 146
“Portuguese” Barbecued Clams 153
The Chilli Clam 154
Curry Crab 162
Camarãoes com Caril de Quiabo e Tomate (Shrimp Curry with Okra and Tomato) 166
7 Aves
Birds 169
Galinha à Africana (“African” Chicken) 171
Macau Roast Pigeon 176
Po Kok Gai (“Portuguese” Chicken Curry) 181
Pato de Cabidela (Duck Cooked in Blood) 187
8 Carnes
Meats 191
Porco Balichang Tamarindo (Pork Braised with Tamarind and Balichão) 193
Porco Bafassa (Smothered and Roasted Turmeric Pork Shoulder) 199
Capela (Macanese Meat Loaf) 203
Char Siu (Cantonese Barbecued Pork) 205
Tacho (Macanese Boiled Dinner) 209
Zhu Pa Bao (Macau’s Famous Pork Chop Bun) 215
Salada de Orelhos de Porco (Pig Ear Salad) 216
Porco Po Bolacho (Powdered Biscuit Pork Chop) 219
Diabo (Devil’s Curry) 221
Curried Beef and Tendon with Turnip 229
Minchi (Macanese Minced Meat Hash) 230
Rabo de Boi Estufado (Stewed Oxtail with Tomatoes and Portuguese Wines) 233
9 Doces e Sobremesas
Sweets and Desserts 237
Macau Rice Crisp 239
Serradura (Macau’s Famous Sawdust Pudding) 240
Hong Kong–Style French Toast 242
Batatada (Macanese Potato Cake) 247
Sweet Potato Batatada 251
Almond Gelee 252
Cocoa-Nut Gelee 255
10 Building Blocks 257
Balichão (Macanese Shrimp Paste) 260
Chicken Fat Croutons 261
Fried Rice Rice 261
Pork Chops in Brine 262
Papo Seco (Portuguese Bread Rolls) 264
XO Sauce 268
Molho de Aziete, aka Mojo (Oil and Garlic Sauce) 270
Portuguese-Style Tomato Sauce 271
“Portuguese” Curry Sauce 272
Refogado (Portuguese Soffritto) 273
Chilli Oil 274
Sambal Tumis (Spicy Sweet-and-Sour Sambal) 275
Peixinhos Fritos (Tiny Fried Fish) 276
Tea Eggs 277
Vitor’s Curry Paste 278
Macau Hot Curry Powder 279
Malacca Sweet Curry Powder 280
Five-Spice Powder 280
Vegetable Stock 281
Chicken Stock 282
Pork Stock 283
Vegetarian Wok Sauce 284
Pork Wok Sauce 284
Umami Juice 285
Tamarind Extract 285
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