The Art of Fat Rice: A Culinary Journey from Macau to Chicago

As co-owners of Fat Race in Chicago, Illinois, Abraham and Adrian Lo are passionate about sharing their interpretation of the cuisine of Macau with the world. Their restaurant's namesake dish, Fat Rice, is a mouth-watering representation of the diverse culinary influences that have shaped Macanese cuisine. For the Lo brothers, Fat Rice is more than just a meal - it's an experience that weaves together flavors and techniques from India, Portugal, China, and beyond.

The story of Fat Rice begins with the humble clay pot. To achieve crispy sides on the rice, the Lo brothers rub the inside of the pot with large, a crucial element in their cooking process. Once the rice is added to the pot, they stud it with lard young, a fermented Chinese sausage, and then add a small amount of stock. The lid is put on, and the pot is popped into the oven to allow the rice to steam and cook out. Meanwhile, the Lo brothers cook various other components, including chicken thighs that have been braised and are then crisped up in the salamander with Portuguese chicken sauce.

The chargrilled charge soup, a Cantonese-style roast pork, is another key component of Fat Rice. To achieve its signature flavor, the Lo brothers glaze it with a mixture of rose wine, maltose, and red yeast rice. The sausage, which is homemade and chunky, country-fatty, and spicy, is also grilled off to add depth to the dish. Last but not least, the seafood - specifically the Macau-style chili prawns, Little Neck clams, and tea eggs - are steamed in the same pan with a little bit of wine and butter.

As the Lo brothers expertly assemble Fat Rice, they bring together an array of flavors and textures that showcase their culinary creativity. The dish begins with the seafood, followed by the various proteins (chicken thighs, pork, sausage), and finally topped with crispy rice that brings everything together. From the crunchy chicken fat flat fried croutons to the pickled chilies, olives, and horse ear scallion on top, Fat Rice is a feast for the senses.

Ultimately, Fat Rice represents the Lo brothers' passion for culinary exploration and their dedication to sharing the rich cultural heritage of Macau with the world. With every bite, they invite diners to experience the vibrant flavors and influences that have shaped this unique cuisine. Whether you're a foodie or simply looking for a new adventure, Fat Rice is an unforgettable culinary journey that will leave you wanting more.

In this article, we will delve deeper into the world of Fat Rice and explore the inspiration behind this beloved dish. We will also examine the techniques and ingredients used by the Lo brothers to create their signature meal, and discuss the cultural significance of Macanese cuisine in the context of contemporary American dining.

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enI'm Adrian lo I'm Abraham common and we're the co-owners of fat race in Chicago Illinois the food of fat rice is our interpretation of the cuisine of Macau my race is something always you know and we wanted to put on the menu even before the restaurant was named that rice our version of the road skirt it was very much more elaborate I think than any any home style version you know we start off with the clay pot we rub the inside with large which is important to getting the crispy sides on the rice after the rice is in the clay pot we stud it with the luck young the fermented Chinese sausage and then put a small amount of stock put the lid on pop it in the oven let the rice steam and cook out in the meantime we cook the various other components so we take the approach against chicken thighs that have already been braised put them in the salamander to crisp them up and lay them with our Portuguese chicken sauce at this point we grilled the charge soup which is Cantonese style roast pork we glaze it with a mixture of rose wine maltose and red yeast rice and then we set it aside to slice later we grill off the linen wasted sausage which is our homemade Portuguese style sausage it's very chunky country fatty spicy sausage and the last thing that gets cooked is the seafood the Macau style chili prawns which have been split down the back and stuffed with chilies garlic and cilantro and we steamed those in the same pan with the Little Neck clams and a little bit of wine and a small amount of butter from there we go ahead and we take the Portuguese chicken thighs that have been glazed add those to the size of the pot slice our charge soup add that to the sides of the pot as well slice our Portuguese wing grease get that in there as well and then we're gonna finish it with our steamed seafood so we'll add the prawns and then finally top it with the clams and we're gonna put a little bit of that juice that we cooked but seafood in on top oh yeah and then we slice the tea eggs which have been previously hard-boiled and then soaked in soy and puer tea and then the final garnishes start happening so we have our chicken fat flat fried croutons on their various olives and pickled chilies pickled red peppers and a small amount of horse ear scallion on top so dig in and the fat race is a lot of fun you've got so many elements you start with the prawns and the clams and then you move into all the proteins and then you finally top that with some of the crispy rice and that's what really brings the fat race together bringing all the influences from India from Portugal from China all together into oneI'm Adrian lo I'm Abraham common and we're the co-owners of fat race in Chicago Illinois the food of fat rice is our interpretation of the cuisine of Macau my race is something always you know and we wanted to put on the menu even before the restaurant was named that rice our version of the road skirt it was very much more elaborate I think than any any home style version you know we start off with the clay pot we rub the inside with large which is important to getting the crispy sides on the rice after the rice is in the clay pot we stud it with the luck young the fermented Chinese sausage and then put a small amount of stock put the lid on pop it in the oven let the rice steam and cook out in the meantime we cook the various other components so we take the approach against chicken thighs that have already been braised put them in the salamander to crisp them up and lay them with our Portuguese chicken sauce at this point we grilled the charge soup which is Cantonese style roast pork we glaze it with a mixture of rose wine maltose and red yeast rice and then we set it aside to slice later we grill off the linen wasted sausage which is our homemade Portuguese style sausage it's very chunky country fatty spicy sausage and the last thing that gets cooked is the seafood the Macau style chili prawns which have been split down the back and stuffed with chilies garlic and cilantro and we steamed those in the same pan with the Little Neck clams and a little bit of wine and a small amount of butter from there we go ahead and we take the Portuguese chicken thighs that have been glazed add those to the size of the pot slice our charge soup add that to the sides of the pot as well slice our Portuguese wing grease get that in there as well and then we're gonna finish it with our steamed seafood so we'll add the prawns and then finally top it with the clams and we're gonna put a little bit of that juice that we cooked but seafood in on top oh yeah and then we slice the tea eggs which have been previously hard-boiled and then soaked in soy and puer tea and then the final garnishes start happening so we have our chicken fat flat fried croutons on their various olives and pickled chilies pickled red peppers and a small amount of horse ear scallion on top so dig in and the fat race is a lot of fun you've got so many elements you start with the prawns and the clams and then you move into all the proteins and then you finally top that with some of the crispy rice and that's what really brings the fat race together bringing all the influences from India from Portugal from China all together into one\n"