China, Pt 4 (Macau): Biggest Little SAR in the World

 China, Pt 4 (Macau): Biggest Little SAR in the World

     You would be forgiven if you know much less about Macau then you did the other aspects of China we covered. It simply does not have the same worldwide presence as Mainland China, Taiwan, or even Hong Kong. 

     You may know the basics. Its formerly a Portuguese colony, and after Portugal’s Carnation Revolution on April 25, 1974 (Isn’t the anniversary of that date coming up soon 😉) brought an end to Portugal’s overseas empire, negotiations were started to turn it back over to the government of China, which happened in 1999. Not unlike Hong Kong in this regard. You may know that Macau is a gambling hub, often called the Las Vegas of East Asia. What you may not know is that UNESCO has designated the cuisine of Macau as an important cultural relic, worthy of preservation. That is because Macau is truly a melting pot.

    Chinese ginger combined with Southeast Asian coconut milk, Indian curry, African piri-piri sauce, and Portuguese paprika to create a truly all-encompassing dining experience. Unfortunately, these are more than just flavors. They are scars. For if we got to explore revolution and rebirth with Mainland China, urban rage and identity struggles with Hong Kong, and survival and resilience with Taiwan, with Macau we get to look directly at the legacy of colonial exploitation, and how it persists long past an empire’s expiration date.

     We will explore how Portuguese and Chinese influences combined to create Minchi, a clever way of using leftovers that helped power a colonized people as they revolted against a corrupt colonial administration. We will look at how African migrants brought their home flavors to create a unique chicken dish, which became their saving grace as they labored in dangerous conditions to build a new empire on top of a fading old one. We will look at how a traditional Portuguese pastry was made Macau’s own, and how this came to represent the glitz and glam of the gaming industry, and how that industry had a dark side. It’s going to be a wild adventure, but above all, a delicious one. Grab a fork and knife, because dinner is served.

Minchi (免治): Hashing Things Out

   Like Hong Kong, Macau started as a shipping and manufacturing hub, and had been granted to Portugal in the aftermath of the Opium Wars. However, unlike the British in Hong Kong, Portugal had a presence in Macau since the 1500s. It was a major port in the Portuguese Empire’s spice trade, and as a result, drew in people from throughout Portugal’s colonial acquisitions. You had traders from Portugal’s Goa colony in India, East Timor, Brazil, the Portuguese mainland, and Africa, all taking part in this bustling port.

Whereas neighboring Hong Kong primarily drew in southern Chinese laborers and Cantonese influences, Macau’s was more diverse and more unique. These people brought the flavors of home with them too, and Macau’s “national” dish became something akin to a mess of flavor. Minchi was a type of minced meat hash flavored with whatever was around, and that included curry spices, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and cinnamon, combined with potatoes and rice. It became a working class staple.

By the 1960s, Macau status as a port was declining. Hong Kong had been investing in upgrading its manufacturing output, and Macau had been coasting. What it DID have was far more permissible laws towards special industries like gambling and prostitution than either Hong Kong or Mainland China. Of course, a monopoly was created to manage the gambling enterprises, Sociedade de Turismo e Diversões de Macau, who only paid out to the well connected. Macau’s colonial administration enacted a sort of informal apartheid society, with Chinese and African laborers at the bottom rung. All civil service positions were occupied by Portuguese residents. Portuguese administrators and high end traders enrolled their children in well to do private schools, while the Chinese schools remained underfunded and struggled. Chinese laborers would make do with whatever they had, and minchi became the struggle meal that kept everyone afloat.

Mainland China had been under control of the PRC, and the Cultural Revolution was underway. Much like it had influenced leftists in Hong Kong, leftists in Macau were spurred by Mao’s call to action to overthrow colonialism, and the corrupt colonial administration of Macau was a target ripe for pickings. The Kuomintang government of Taiwan also maintained a presence in Macau, and was hoping to use the port as a means to retake the Mainland if they ever were in a position to do so. However, the colonial administration had more of a relationship with the PRC, whom they saw as much more immediate a threat, and much more important a neighbor.

The Communist Party of China sponsored the building of a school in Macau, and while they went through all the proper channels, and were even granted a plot of land, the permitting process was delayed. The colonial administrators were waiting for a bribe, as was common practice. However, they never received that bribe. Instead the Chinese residents of Macau had had enough. The school board behind the project had started building it despite not receiving any permits.

The Macau police came and ordered construction to stop, but while they were doing that protestors from amongst Macau’s Chinese community started gathering. The police ended up lashing out at the protestors, injuring 40 people. This led to 60 Chinese students protesting outside the Governor’s Palace in Macau, chanting revolutionary slogans and holding copies of Mao’s Little Red Book. They maintained an all day and night vigil, frying minchi while decrying “the fascist authorities”. By December 3, 1966 this had devolved into a riot, with Portuguese owned businesses being ransacked and attacked, and colonial offices being stormed. Unlike the similar riots in neighboring Hong Kong, Chinese business owners in Macau sided with the Communists in Beijing and rioters in Macau, as the colonial administration was so discriminatory towards them.

Protestors also were amassing on the Chinese side of the Macau-China border, and the Chinese military moved in, allegedly to stop the protestors from invading. As statues of Portuguese officials were toppled, portraits of governors were torn from walls, and city records were tossed onto the street and lit on fire. The colony was then placed under martial law, and colonial authorities began negotiating with the representatives of the school and Chinese business elite.

To bring this “12-3 Incident” to a swift close, the Portuguese offered to pay reparations to Macau’s Chinese community, allow the building of the school, and ban Kuomintang activities in Macau. Then perhaps, most significantly, they agreed to change Macau’s status to “A Chinese territory under Portuguese Administration”. Portugal soon underwent a revolution of their own, and tried to part with all their territorial acquisitions, but China would not allow Macau to be fully turned over until Hong Kong had done the same, and Macau remained in limbo, now de facto controlled by Chinese businessmen and Portuguese gambling lords. Nonetheless, the victorious Chinese people ate their minchi with a little more confidence going forward.

I must say, minchi may in fact be my new favorite comfort food. Inexpensive and easy to make, the flavors combine phenomenally. Place over a nice bed of steamed rice to elevate it.

• Minchi Recipe

• Serves: 2-4

• Ingredients:

• 275g (about 10 oz) minced pork*

• 275g (about 10 oz) minced beef*

• 1 medium potato (~225g / 8 oz), peeled and cubed into small pieces

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2 green onions (scallions), finely chopped (white and light green parts)

• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely chopped

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 tbsp light soy sauce

• 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

• 2/3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

• 1/4 tsp brown sugar

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper

• 1/4 tsp cinnamon

• 2 tsp curry powder

• 700ml (about 3 cups) peanut, olive, or neutral cooking oil (for frying potatoes)

• 4 tbsp olive oil (for the main dish)

• 1–4 eggs (1 per guest)

• Instructions:

• Heat 4 tbsp olive oil in a large wok or skillet over medium heat.

• Add the bay leaves and sauté until slightly browned and aromatic.

• Add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until lightly browned.

• Stir in the green onions and garlic. Sauté for another 1–2 minutes until fragrant.

• Add the cayenne, white pepper, cinnamon, and curry powder. Stir to coat everything evenly.

• Add the minced pork and beef, cooking and stirring constantly to brown the meat and prevent sticking.

• Once the meat is fully cooked, stir in the brown sugar and salt, followed by the light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce. Mix well and simmer briefly.

• Remove the meat mixture from the pan and set aside.

• In the same pan, add peanut oil and heat to medium-high.

• Fry the cubed potatoes in batches until golden and crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.

• Drain off most of the oil, leaving just enough to fry the eggs.

• Fry the eggs sunny-side-up (or to preference) with runny yolks.

• Toss the potatoes with the meat mixture and transfer to a serving dish.

• Top with the fried egg(s) and serve immediately.

African Chicken (非洲雞): Spicing Things Up

          

Macau’s culinary profile has always reflected a variety of sources. The dish known as African Chicken - simmering in African Piri-Piri sauce, smothered in Southeast Asian Peanut-Coconut richness, and finally spiked in Chinese Chili Oil reflects this. It emerged as a specialty of Macau chefs in the 50s, and as time went on, it became reflective of Macau’s style of cuisine. Of course, while the diversity reflected in the dish was celebrated in restaurants, it was exploited in the streets. 

After the 12-3 incident, de facto control passed from the Portuguese colonial authorities to the conglomerate of Chinese businessmen and colonial traders who maintained a vice grip on Macau’s gambling industry. While the Portuguese empire was fading away, this cartel envisioned a new empire of its own.

Land reclamation projects, taking piles of dirt back from the ocean, were their key to making a new, glitzier Macau. One such project, the Cotai Land Reclamation project was envisioned to create a strip of casinos on par with the Las Vegas strip. The thin stretch of land was going to be a bridge between the middle island of Taipa and outermost island of Coloane. It was a massive project, that required a massive amount of labor. The labor intensive project required labor to be trucked in from Mainland China, and migrants from Portugal’s crumbling colonies in Southeast Asia and African countries such as Mozambique. When they arrived, they found Macau’s African Chicken to contain a taste of home. 

They arrived to grueling conditions, backbreaking days, and paltry wages. They would reclaim land from the ocean for a glittery future that wasn’t going to be there’s, and found African chicken to be a comfort, a cheap, fiery reminder of where they came from. There is some evidence of labor strikes around this project from this era. But these migrants, many of whom were less than legal, did not have much recourse and their stories were buried by local bureaucrats, leaving little but a chicken dish to tell their tale.

I grilled some up in a cast-iron skillet, finding the hot spices to complement the creamy peanut butter and coconut perfectly. Its a very interesting dish, and the skin cooks to a crisp. Certainly reflective of multiple culinary disciplines.

African Chicken Recipe (Skillet Version)

• Serves: 6-8

• Ingredients:

• Chicken:

• 2.07 lbs (940g) fresh young chicken thighs (boneless or bone-in, ~10-12 pieces depending on size)

• Marinade:

• ¾ cup + 1 tbsp coconut milk (about 0.8 cups total)

• 3 tbsp smooth peanut butter

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp paprika (smoked or regular)

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp minced garlic (about 3-4 cloves)

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp minced ginger

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp chili powder (adjust for heat preference)

• 2 tsp chili oil (adds a slick, spicy kick—adjust to taste)

• 1½ tsp salt

• Cooking:

• 6 tbsp vegetable oil (divided, for batches)

• ¼ cup crushed peanuts (lightly toasted or raw, for texture and nutty depth)

• Instructions:

• In a large bowl, whisk together coconut milk, peanut butter, paprika, garlic, ginger, chili powder, chili oil, and salt until smooth and fully blended. Add the 2.07 lbs of chicken thighs, coating them evenly. Marinate for 30 minutes (fridge or counter refrigerate or counter).

• Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (cast iron works great) over medium-high heat (375-400°F) until shimmering but not smoking.

• Cook in batches to avoid overcrowding:

• Boneless thighs: Place 3-4 pieces in the skillet. Sear 4-5 minutes per side (10-12 minutes total per batch).

• Bone-in thighs: Sear 6-8 minutes per side (12-16 minutes total per batch).

• Halfway through each batch, baste with leftover marinade (spoon or brush it on). Ensure internal temp reaches 165°F.

• In the last 1-2 minutes of cooking each batch, sprinkle 1 tbsp of crushed peanuts over the chicken in the skillet. Let them toast lightly in the pan juices, stirring gently to coat without burning.

• Add 2 tbsp oil between batches as needed. If the marinade or peanuts stick or brown too fast, reduce heat to medium and add 1-2 tbsp water per batch to deglaze, keeping it saucy. Keep cooked thighs warm (e.g., in a 200°F oven) while finishing the rest.

• Rest chicken for 5 minutes after cooking. Slice boneless thighs or serve bone-in whole.

Portuguese Egg Tarts (葡式蛋撻): Hitting the Jackpot

     As Macau stormed into the 1990s, now a gambling mecca controlled by a Triad of powerful gambling lords, Macau’s cuisine was beginning to get international recognition. A British chef named Andrew Stow took a well known Portuguese Pastry, Pastel de nata, and gave it a Macau flair at his flagship restaurant, Lord Stow’s. Pastel De Nata had been around for centuries, a pastry that developed to use up the egg yolks that were leftover when monks used egg whites to color their vestments. Of course the Macau flair was using puff pastry to make it replicable in mass qualities, and it became a huge hit, both mass produced and emblematic of Macau cuisine. It even is served as a special Macau treat at McDonalds! All the Macau casinos and tourist traps began serving it, an emblem of Macau’s colonial exploitation adorned with a Michelin Star. 

    With the Cotai reclamation project finished in the early 90s, Macau’s answer to the Las Vegas strip began to rise, with the glitz and glam transforming this backwater port into an international destination space. After the 99 handover to China, Macau’s SAR status allowed it to thrive, and the casino monopoly got some competition as new laws broke it up. The Cotai strip was open to Vegas mainstays such as Wynn, and it became the gambling hub for all of Asia. At its height, 100,000 Portuguese Egg Tarts were baked each day — sweet, caramelized symbols of a city reinventing itself. But for every tart served to a gambler at the Wynn or the Sands, there were scores of workers behind the scenes: native Macanese, undocumented laborers from across the mainland border, and migrants brought in to keep the ovens, and the empire, running in 18 hour shifts.Something began bubbling like the caramelized sugar on top of an egg tart.

     In 2007, these tensions came to a head. As the SAR’s casino economy was booming, and migrants were brought in to fill gaps in labor, the money was just not trickling down. 100,000 egg tarts were manufactured a day, but the spoils of that labor were going to casino magnates and not workers. On Labor Day 2007, protests by casino workers erupted. The 5,000 demonstrators started protesting peacefully, but as they got to government offices the mood changed substantially. Water bottles started being hurled and police started firing warning shots, striking a motorcyclist in the neck with a bullet. 

     While the protest lasted only 6 hours, the ramifications continued long beyond that. The heavy-handed police response triggered a government investigation, but the casino economy continued booming. By the 2010s, Macau had eclipsed Las Vegas as the world’s premier gambling spot, with the average spent per trip to be over $3,000. Egg Tarts are still mass produced to this very day, and are featured as a traditional Macau dish in several publications.

     Say what you want about them, but they are delicious. Easy to make, and not requiring many ingredients, I will definitely be making them again.

Portuguese Egg Tarts Recipe

• Serves: 2-3 (6 tarts)

• Ingredients:

• Pastry:

• 1 sheet puff pastry (store-bought, thawed, ~250g)

• Custard:

• 2 egg yolks

• ¼ cup sugar (~50g)

• ½ cup milk (~120ml)

• ½ cup heavy cream (~120ml)

• ½ tsp vanilla extract

• Instructions:

• Roll puff pastry thin—cut 6 circles (~3-4 inches), press into muffin tin (edges up ~1 inch).

• Whisk yolks, sugar—heat milk, cream in pot (medium, ~5 mins, warm not boiling), temper into yolks slowly (no scramble). Add vanilla—cool slightly.

• Pour custard into pastry (~2-3 tbsp each)—bake 400°F, 20-25 mins (custard set, tops golden-brown, slight char).

• Cool ~5 mins—pop out.

• Notes:

• Yield: 6 tarts—~30 mins total (prep ~10 mins, bake ~20-25 mins).