Macau is located in the continent of Asia. It has China to the north, Taiwan to the northeast, the South China Sea to the southeast and south, Vietnam and Laos to the southwest, China to the west and northwest.
The capital is Macau.
The official language is Chinese and Portuguese.
The climate lies just within the tropics, and it has a monsoonal climate. Four-fifths of the rain falls within the summer rainy season April – September. The summer months are also hot, humid and unpleasant.
The foods are chicken, pork, shrimp, coconut milk, almonds, mung beans, and a high influence from the Portuguese (https://www.tasteatlas.com/best-dishes-in-macau#modal).
https://www.britannica.com/place/Macau-administrative-region-China
MACANESE PORTUGUESE-INSPIRED CHICKEN CURRY (https://leitesculinaria.com/324060/recipes-macanese-portuguese-chicken-curry.html):
- 1 lb. boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 TBSP sweet paprika
- 1 tsp table salt, plus more as needed
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1/3 C canola oil
- 3 C (18 ozs.) finely chopped onions
- 5 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- One (13-1/2 oz.) can coconut milk
- 1-1/2 TBSP fish sauce, plus extra to taste
- 1-1/2 C water
- 1 tsp curry powder (such as Madras)
- ½ tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 TBSP chili oil, for garnish
- ½ C (2 oz.) chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
- Steamed rice or buttery naan, to serve
- 1 lime or lemon, cut into wedges, for garnish
- In a medium bowl, combine chicken, paprika, salt, and turmeric and mix with your hands.
- Let the chicken marinate while you prepare the other ingredients (or refrigerate for up to 8 hours).
- In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil. Add onions, reduce heat to medium-low, and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes.
- Add garlic and cook until onions are cooked through and everything is coated in a glossy layer of oil, about 5 minutes more.
- Stir in the chicken and sauté for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Pour in coconut milk, increase heat to medium-high, and bring to a near boil.
- Simmer mixture until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes.
- Pour in fish sauce and water and bring to a boil. (The broth will thin as the chicken starts to release its juices.)
- Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the curry has thickened and the flavor has developed, about 50 minutes. (Droplets of paprika-red oil will rise to the surface; this is okay).
- Stir in curry powder and cayenne and simmer for 15 minutes more. Remove from heat and let stand for at least 20 minutes for the dish to develop more flavor as it cools.
- Season with more salt or fish sauce, if needed. Drizzle chili oil over the top and sprinkle with cilantro. Serve with rice (or naan) and wedges of lime (or lemon).
Such a GREAT flavor!!! Highly recommend!!
PORTUGUESE RICE (https://sundaysuppermovement.com/how-to-cook-perfect-rice/):
- 4 C water
- 2 chicken bouillon cubes – or 2 TBSP powdered chicken bouillon
- 1 small onion – whole
- 2 C long grain rice – uncooked
- 4 TBSP butter – salted
- 1 tsp salt
- Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Once boiling, add chicken bouillon and mix well.
- Add 1 small onion to the center of the pan.
- Reduce heat to low and pour in the rice to surround the onion.
- Cover and do not touch* for approximately 30 minutes, until the rice is fully cooked and tender.
- Remove and discard the onion.
- Stir in 4 Tbsp. butter until completely melted. Stir in well.
- Taste your rice to see if it needs any salt. Serve, and enjoy your fluffy white rice recipe!
- 1 teaspoon salt
I used brown rice, but it still turned out great!!
PO TAT (Macau-Style Portuguese Custard Tart) (https://nutfreewok.com/po-tat/):
Puff pastry crust:
- 10 TBSP unsalted butter, divided
- 1-1/2 C all-purpose flour, plus ¼ C, as needed
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 6-3/4 TBSP ice water
- Cut 1 stick of butter (8 TBSP) into 12 slices and arrange them in a 4×3 grid on one side of a large piece of parchment paper.
- Fold the parchment paper over the butter and fold the open edges so the parchment paper is approximately 6×6 inch square. Use a rolling pin to roll the butter into one flat 6×6 inch piece.
- Refrigerate the parchment paper wrapped in butter, rolling pin, and pastry molds until needed.
- In a medium bowl, use a pastry cutter (or two knives) to cut the remaining 2 TBSP of butter in 1-1/2 C flour, 1 tsp sugar, and salt until the butter looks like grains of sand.
- Add the ice water and mix with a wooden spoon until a dough forms. If the dough seems too shaggy, add 1 TBSP of flour. Is a dough doesn’t form, add 1-2 tsp of ice water, one tsp at a time.
- Lightly flour a large cutting board and knead the dough a few times until the dough is smooth.
- Shape the dough into a square, wrap the dough with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 20 minutes to let the dough rest.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and cutting board, use a rolling pin to roll the dough out into approximately 9×9 inch square.
- Unwrap the butter square and place it diagonally on top of the dough and fold the corners down to wrap the butter, gently stretching the edges if needed.
- Pinch the edges close with your fingers and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough edges together.
- Wrap with parchment paper and refrigerate the dough and the rolling pin for 20-30 minutes.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and cutting board, unwrap the dough and roll it into a rectangle and fold the left third toward the center and the right third toward the center (like a letter).
- Wrap the dough with parchment paper and refrigerate along with the rolling pin for 20-30 minutes.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and cutting board, unwrap the dough and roll it into a long rectangle (18×4 inches) and fold the two ends to the center and fold in half into a square. Wrap with parchment paper and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes.
- Lightly flour the rolling pin and cutting, unwrap the dough. Use your rolling pin to press down several times on the pastry square to flatten the dough, then roll it out into a large square (approximately 12×12 inch). Brush off any excess flour, and use your fingers to roll the square into a tight log, wrap with parchment paper, and refrigerate for 20-30 minutes or until ready to assemble.
Custard filling:
- 5 yolks (reserve egg whites for other purposes)
- ¾ C milk
- ½ C heavy whipping cream
- ¼ C granulated sugar
- 1 TBSP cornstarch
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- You will need 15 minutes of uninterrupted work time to make the custard filling, ideally during one of the breaks while waiting for the puff pastry to rest. In a small 1-quart saucepan, beat the egg yolks with a whisk. Add milk, heavy whipping cream, sugar, and cornstarch, stir to combine. Cook the egg mixture on low-medium heat, stir constantly until you see a whisp of steam, and the egg mixture thickens slightly (approximately 8-10 minutes). Test by dipping a clean spoon into the custard and then run your finger across the back of the spoon and if there’s a clear line, remove from heat immediately.
- Add the vanilla and stir to combine. Pour the filling through a fine mesh strainer into 2 cup spouted measuring cup or a bowl, discard any solids. Allow the custard to cool to room temperature, cover, and then refrigerate until ready to fill the pastry cups.
Assembly and baking:
- When ready to assemble the custard filling with the puff pastry, check that the oven rack is in the middle and preheat the oven to 425°F.
- Take the egg tart molds out of the refrigerator.
- Unwrap the log, trim off the rough edges, and set aside the scraps.
- Cut the log in half, cut each half into quarters, and cut each quarter into 3 pieces. Keep the cut pieces of dough covered with parchment paper as you shape the dough into the pastry molds.
- Place a piece of dough into an egg tart mold cut side down and use your thumb to press the center of the dough spiral onto the base of the mold.
- Use your thumbs to press the dough onto the side of the mold while gently pulling the dough up toward the top edge so that there’s a little rim of dough above the edge of the mold.
- Repeat until all the molds are shaped and if it’s a hot day, refrigerate them for 10-20 minutes.
- Work at a kitchen counter closest to your oven, place the pastry molds onto a rimmed baking sheet and neatly fill the pastry shells with approximately 2 tablespoons of filling (85% full). I use a soup ladle with a pouring spout.
- Place the tray of filled pastry shells into the oven and bake for 25 minutes.
- Set a timer for 20 minutes to check on their progress. They are ready when the tart shells are golden brown, the filling is bubbly, and the tops have a slightly caramelized appearance.
- Allow to cool for at least 10-15 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.
These are VERY good!! I highly recommend!
Not sure if they drink A&W in Macau, but here is my overall meal!!!
Travel Global Food 