African Chicken Delicious Example Of ‘Fusion Cuisine’

As a frequent and fervent traveler, I am fascinated by crossroads cuisines. The meeting - and sometimes clash - of two cultures along a narrow geographic interface has produced some of the world’s most interesting food.

Consider Macao. This tiny Portuguese enclave on the southeast coast of China is the very embodiment of what contemporary American chefs have come to call “fusion cuisine” - except that in this case the fusion has been going on for more than 400 years, linking two cultures at literally opposite ends of the earth.

Macao has been a Portuguese colony since 1557, when Iberian traders established an outpost here to serve as mercantile go-betweens between the Chinese and Japanese.

Today, only 5 percent of the mostly Chinese population speaks Portuguese, but you still find baroque churches, markets selling salt cod and olive oil, and pastry shops specializing in Portuguese pastries. In other words, you have a fusion of Chinese and Portuguese culinary cultures, known locally as Macanese cuisine.

At first glance, Macao looks like any emerging Asian city. But step onto a side street, like the Rua de La Felicidade and you could be in prewar China.

Merchandise spills from storefronts onto rickety tables lining the sidewalks. Vendors cook sheets of “au jok kohn,” a sort of sweet, salty and deliciously fatty jerky, over braziers of glowing coals.

Restaurants specialize in foods you didn’t know you could eat. Snakes slither in the window of one establishment; another boasts cages of a small tapir-like mammal, empty at the end of the evening. Come nightfall, the street fills with the heady aroma of cooking, as locals converge for doorsill dining and socializing.

Portugal may be one of the smallest countries in Europe, but in the 17th Century this tiny nation projected its sphere of influence around the world. Macao was the easternmost outpost of an empire that stretched from Brazil to Angola and Mozambique to Goa in India and Timor. The Portuguese grew fabulously wealthy off world trade four centuries before anyone spoke of a global economy or global village.

One of the most famous Macanese dishes, “Galinha Africana” (African Chicken), bears tribute to this global hegemony. The garlic-bay leaf-olive oil marinade and tomato paste- and paprika-based sauce are hallmarks of classical Portuguese cooking.

Chiles were native to the Americas and were brought to Africa, India and Asia by Portuguese seafarers within a century of their “discovery” by Columbus. The Portuguese would have learned to use ginger in China and coconut milk in Goa or Indonesia.

There are probably as many recipes for African Chicken as there are individual Macanese cooks. This one comes from the Fortaleza Grill at the Pousada de Sao Tiago, a Portuguese inn steeped in atmosphere and built in the ruins of a 17th Century fortress overlooking the harbor.

You’ll need to know about two ingredients to prepare this dish: coconut milk and grated coconut. The former is an infusion of freshly grated coconut meat in an equal amount of boiling water. If you make it yourself, let the mixture steep about 20 minutes, then strain it through cheesecloth, wringing hard. Canned coconut milk works well and can be found at Asian groceries and many supermarkets; just be sure to use an unsweetened brand.

Ideally, the grated coconut would be fresh, but you can also use packaged grated coconut. Again, be sure it’s unsweetened.

African Chicken (Galinha Africana) Chicken and Marinade:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/2 pounds), trimmed

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup dry white wine

2 bay leaves, crumbled

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon salt Sauce:

2 tablespoons butter or olive oil

1 onion, minced (about 1 cup)

3 cloves garlic, minced (about 1 tablespoon)

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger root 2 red serrano or jalapeno chiles or 1/4 sweet red pepper, seeded and minced (for hotter dish, leave seeds in)

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 tablespoon sweet paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk

2 tablespoons whipping cream

1/3 cup chicken stock

1 cup toasted shredded unsweetened coconut

Salt, freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley or cilantro

Place chicken breasts in nonreactive bowl. Stir in oil, wine, bay leaves, garlic and salt. Marinate 30 minutes, stirring once or twice.

To prepare sauce, heat butter in saucepan. Add onion, garlic, ginger root and chiles and saute over medium heat, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, paprika and cayenne and cook over low heat until thick and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Increase heat to high. Stir in coconut milk, cream and chicken stock and boil 3 minutes. Stir in shredded coconut and salt and pepper to taste and cook until sauce is thick, 3 to 5 minutes longer. Mixture should be highly seasoned.

Preheat grill or broiler. Just before serving, remove chicken from marinade and grill or broil until cooked, about 5 minutes per side over medium heat. When 1 side is cooked, turn breasts and spoon sauce on top. (If using broiler, broil breasts on both sides, then spoon sauce on top. Broil sauce side 1 minute more.)

Sprinkle chicken with parsley and serve at once.

Yield: 4 servings.

Note: To toast coconut, spread on baking sheet and place under broiler until lightly browned, 3-5 minutes, stirring with spatula to insure even browning.

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