Macanese Recipes

Macanese cooking blends Portuguese, Cantonese and Southeast Asian kitchens, developed over centuries of trade and settlement. Home cooks combined salt cod, olive oil and sausage with soy sauce, coconut milk, turmeric, cinnamon and chili, and the results taste neither purely Portuguese nor purely Chinese. African chicken, minchi (minced meat with diced potatoes) and salt cod fritters are classic family dishes. In the city's cafes, people eat pork chop buns, egg tarts and a creamy dessert called serradura. Macanese families once held cha gordo, a long afternoon table of savory pastries, cakes and sweets for weddings and holidays. Cantonese food is just as present, from congee and noodles to dim sum, and the two traditions share the table every day. Dishes tied to the Catholic calendar, such as capela and diabo, keep the community's own celebrations distinct from everyday Cantonese meals.

Staple ingredients

• salt cod (bacalhau)
• coconut milk
• turmeric and curry spices
• minced pork or beef
• potatoes
• chicken
• pork
• olive oil

• Appetizers 1
• Main Dishes 3
• Desserts 2

Appetizers

• Pastéis de Bacalhau (Macanese Salt Cod Fritters)MO1 h 20 minMedium

Main Dishes

• Zhu Pa Bao (Macau Pork Chop Bun)MO25 minEasy
• Galinha à Africana (Macanese African Chicken)MO1 h 30 minMedium
• Minchi (Macanese Minced Meat and Potato Hash)MO45 minEasy

Desserts

• Portuguese-Style Egg Tarts of MacauMO1 h 5 minMedium
• Serradura (Macau Sawdust Pudding)MO20 minEasy