Macanese Chilicotes

In every festivals, the top three Macanese treasures (Fried turmeric pastries, Pork croquette, and Potato Curry Samosa) are indispensable for most catering households food items. Chilicotes, one of the western fried pasty puffs, is one of the Christmas and New Year must have party snacks.

Fried Chilicotes is a kind of deep-fried meat pastry, originated from the traditional Portuguese fried shrimp croquet Rissois de Camarão. It seems a little bit like the traditional Chinese New Year’s fried pastries; when comparing with Macanese and traditional Portuguese recipes both relatively comparably the same; but the outer skin made from the dough perhaps is the slight difference you can see.

Chilicotes Fillings

The fillings is just easy to buy and create. The western style Chilicotes mainly uses mixed pork and minced beef. Since the beef has a rich texture, the taste is often tend to be a bit tender and soft when mixed with a small amount of minced pork. Most traditional Portuguese Chilicotes mainly made of shrimp and meat. As for spices, because the indigenous cultural mixes are more on Chinese spices mainly; the curry powder, turmeric powder, and a little coriander used as the main spice ingredients; whilst the garlic all sauteed to make the fillings unique. In contrast, the Portuguese-style prawn fillet is sautéed with garlic, salt, pepper and other ingredients such as celery, carrot and onion; A tiny amount of fresh milk added to the taste; which a final paste-like filling created, a filling like ingredients, rich in flavor and thick texture.

Traditional way of making

For the dough making, unsalted butter bricks added in by putting it in boiling water, then add the low-gluten flour and stir it clockwise. After the dough instantly formed from the pot, placed on the table while its still hot. Kept kneading it into an elastic round outer skin layer. Then add (half a teaspoon) of the minced meat marinade that has just cooled off, then press the corners with a silver fork; seal the edges and placed it in hard boiling fry pan until golden brown.

On the contrary when making in portuguese way while kneading the dough, add a little fresh butter and lemon zest to enhance the flavor. After sealing, use egg yolk juice to stick the flour and bread crumbs evenly on the whole pastry body; Put it in the boiling oil till golden brown. The final outcome is different when tasted at the end.

Every family gathering will eat ten or more pieces these Chilicotes. In many occasions, my mother must make several rounds, together with the watercress honey, reducing the sore throat caused by “heating”; Most family gatherings however, will put countless fried Deep-fried food items; even you can avoid these fried yummy pastries, but you can’t get hold of other items like shrimp toasts, fried Bacalhau balls, tuna crisps, fried shrimp cake, curry samosa, baked sea bass and so on. The Macanese gathering must be a fast gaining weight snack recommendations. Each time when all dishes well-served, there must be 20 or more items or so; you probably need to eat non-stop for two days and two nights non-stop!