How a Chinese-macao burger served at market

Simple dishes served at markets and food stalls are often more memorable than hotel food when traveling. One of the dishes for culinary researcher Asami Kuchio was a pork chop burger she had in Macao.

The burger was incredibly flavorful and had a simple appearance.

The chu pa pao burger, which is a grilled pork chop sandwiched between two slices of bread, is fairly easy to find in Macao. Kuchio said the taste of the meat, which is grilled over charcoal until it becomes a beautiful brown color, was irresistible at local restaurants.

Macao, which was given back in 1999 to China from Portugal, is unique in that it is a mixture of Chinese and Portuguese cultures, and the burger is no exception.

The pork with a Chinese flavor has a Chinese flavor, while the bread has a Portuguese flavor, Kuchio said. The combination is very Macao. To prepare the meat, cut the muscle fibers of sliced pork loin so it is easy to eat. Then pound the meat before seasoning it with sweet and spicy sauce commonly found in Southeast Asia. To give the dish more flavor, add five spice powder — which is a mixture of star anise, huajiao Sichuan pepper, cinnamon and other spices.

After it is seasoned, sprinkle the meat with flour and cook it thoroughly.

The more it charred, the better it tastes, Kuchio said. It burns easily because of the sugar in the seasoning, so be careful. When grilled pork is placed between two slices of bread — either French bread or hamburger buns — with stir-fried onions, the burger is complete. Kuchio said Portuguese rolls are often used in restaurants in Macao.

Kuchio used freshly baked homemade bread in her recipe. The sweet aroma, as well as the sweet and spicy meat, went well with the buttery bread. It is a fusion of food cultures. I enjoyed it while thinking about Macao.

Kuchio shared her recipe for yuen yeung tea, a mixture of coffee and tea, she had at a cafe in Macao. Add coffee and tea and pour condensed milk into a glass with ice. Kuchio said that the trick is to make strong tea so that it is not overpowered by the coffee. Once everything is mixed together, it tastes like milk and coffee, but the aftertaste has a hint of black tea flavor.

In Macao, I remember the bitterness and sweetness of the drink soothed my exhaustion from the travel, Kuchio said.

Mince the garlic and thinly slice the onions. Cut the muscle fibers of the pork, then wrap it in plastic wrap and pound it with a rolling pin.

Place the pork on a tray and sprinkle with garlic, salt, sugar, pepper, soy sauce, seasoning sauce and five-spice powder.

Pour oil into a frying pan and stir-fry the onions. When the onions become soft, remove them from the pan. After adding more oil, sprinkle a little flour on both sides of the pork and cook in the same pan.

Slice bread in half, spread butter on both sides and toast. Place the pork and onions between the two slices of toasted bread.