The Adventures of Fat Rice

With 100 recipes, this is the first book to explore the vibrant food culture of Macau—an east-meets-west melting pot of Chinese, Portuguese, Malaysian, and Indian foodways—as seen through the lens of the cult favorite Chicago restaurant, Fat Rice.

"Stan Lee and other comic book creators can literally eat their hearts out, as the format of the traditional cookbook continues to evolve. The latest to challenge the standard: The Adventures of Fat Rice."—Eater

An hour’s ferry ride from Hong Kong, on the banks of the Pearl River in China, lies Macau—a modern, cosmopolitan city with an unexpected history. For centuries, Macau was one of the world’s greatest trading ports: a Portuguese outpost and crossroads along the spice route, where travelers from Europe, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and mainland China traded resources, culture, and food. The Adventures of Fat Rice is the story of how two Chicago chefs discovered and fell in love with this fascinating and, at least until now, unheralded cuisine.

With dishes like Minchi (a classic Macanese meat hash), Po Kok Gai (a Portuguese-influenced chicken curry with chouriço and olives), and Arroz Gordo (if paella and fried rice had a baby), now you, too, can bring the eclectic and wonderfully unique—yet enticingly familiar—flavors of Macau into your own kitchen.

ABRAHAM CONLON and ADRIENNE LO are the chefs and co-owners of the popular Chicago restaurant Fat Rice. They have awards and recognition from the James Beard Foundation, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, Eater, and many others. In 2018, Abraham was named Best Chef: Great Lakes by the James Beard Foundation. 

HUGH AMANO is a writer and the former sous chef of Fat Rice.