Minchi (免治)

Macanese Minchi is one of the most favorite dishes of Macau and has as many variations as there are cooks that make it.

Minchi derives supposedly its name from the English word "minced" indicating that the dish may have been introduced to Macau by the Anglophone community in Hong Kong, though other histories place its origins in Goa, another Portuguese province. Traditionally minchi is made with beef or pork (or a combination of the two) but it can also be made with chicken, fish, shrimp or vegetables like bitter melon or and occasionally Chinese black fungus and Portuguese sausage.

The best minchi is supposedly made by chopping the meat by hand using two cleavers (or parangs). The common practice of adding an egg on top may have its roots in Roman Catholicism, with the bright yellow yolk and egg white representing the color contrast of the Holy See coat of arms.