The Adventures of Fat Rice
Recipes from the Chicago Restaurant Inspired by Macau [A Cookbook]
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- $21.99
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Chicago's Fat Rice restaurant serves up dishes inspired by the cuisine of Macau, which is to say that more than a half dozen countries hold sway on these recipes. Portugal, which governed Macau for 500 years before Macau became part of China in 1999, is a primary influence, as is China itself (so break out the wok), and there are hints of Brazil, Africa, India, Malaysia, and more. The title dish is a kind of paella with prawns, clams, sausage, and chicken. Chefs and co-owners Conlon and Lo, along with their former sous chef Amano, also offer their interpretations of rice-free entrees such as oven-baked salt cod, African grilled chicken in a tomato and coconut milk sauce, and, for the daring, a pig ear salad served with a garlicky vinaigrette. For dessert there is Hong Kong style French toast, a deep-fried peanut butter and banana sandwich topped with coconut cream and papaya jam. Dan Goldberg's rich color photography shares the space with numerous, fun illustrations by Sarah Becan that instruct the reader on such techniques as shaping croquettes and whipping up a stir-fried vegetable side dish. An interesting ingredients glossary closes out the book, highlighting rarities like the candlenut and spilling the secrets of the Sichuan peppercorn (spoiler: it's not really a peppercorn).
