As the primary European gateway to China, Macau grew to become the middle of Portugal’s huge maritime empire within the East. You possibly can nonetheless style the ensuing mixture of flavors.
Egg-custard tarts, salt cod with garlic, and baked duck rice typically are on the menu, although so are galinha à Africana (African hen), Chinese language steamed pork buns and Indian coconut curry.
Now think about that type of cultural convergence multi function dish — minchi, a minced-meat hash for which each household has its personal throw-it-together recipe. It normally contains potatoes and tomato paste introduced by the Portuguese, frequent Chinese language elements like rice vinegar and soy sauce, and even Worcestershire sauce from the British, who additionally used Macau as a base earlier than founding Hong Kong throughout the Pearl River Estuary in 1841.
Stir-fried along with floor pork and just a little brown sugar, the hash tastes savory and barely candy, and altogether comforting.
For the weeknight-friendly model in our ebook “Milk Avenue Tuesday Nights,” which limits recipes to 45 minutes or much less, we shorten the cooking time by jumpstarting cubed potatoes within the microwave. After cooking the pork with many of the seasonings, we take away it from the pan to complete cooking the potatoes till they’re crispy.
We lighten what could possibly be a heavy dish by including grated ginger, which isn’t usually concerned. Generally served with rice, minchi, like all hash, begs to be topped with a fried egg and a squeeze of Sriracha.
Most recipes with potatoes require turning on the oven or lengthy cooking occasions, however we frequently jumpstart potatoes within the microwave for weeknight cooking.
Macanese Meat-and-Potato Hash (Minchi)
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/macanese-meat-and-potato-hash-minchi
Begin to end: 35 minutes
Servings: 4
1¾ kilos Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and minimize into ½-inch cubes
Kosher salt and floor black pepper
12 ounces floor pork
3 tablespoons finely grated recent ginger
2 tablespoons packed darkish brown sugar
2 tablespoons tomato paste
6 scallions, thinly sliced, white and inexperienced elements reserved individually
3 tablespoons grapeseed or different impartial oil, divided
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
½ cup recent cilantro leaves, chopped
In a big microwafe-safe bowl, mix the potatoes, ¾ teaspoon salt and ¼ cup water. Cowl with plastic wrap and microwave on excessive till virtually tender, about 5 minutes, stirring midway via. Drain the potatoes.
In a medium bowl, stir collectively the pork, ginger, sugar, tomato paste, scallion whites and ¾ teaspoon pepper. In a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium, warmth 1 tablespoon of oil till shimmering. Add the pork combination and, utilizing a wood spoon, break into small items. Cook dinner, stirring a couple of times, till calmly browned, 5 minutes. Switch to a clear bowl and wipe out skillet.
Set the skillet over medium-high, add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil and warmth till shimmering. Add the potatoes and cook dinner, stirring and adjusting warmth as wanted, till browned and crisped, about quarter-hour. Return the pork to the skillet and add the soy and Worcestershire sauces and vinegar. Toss, then stir in half every of the scallion greens and cilantro. Style, season with salt and pepper, then switch to a serving dish and sprinkle with the remaining scallions and cilantro.
EDITOR’S NOTE: For extra recipes, go to Christopher Kimball’s Milk Avenue at 177milkstreet.com/ap
