Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine facts for kids
Puerto Rican Chinese cuisine is a special kind of food you can find only in restaurants in Puerto Rico. It was created by Chinese people who moved there. This food mixes ideas from Cantonese cuisine (a style of Chinese cooking) with parts of Puerto Rican cuisine (local dishes from Puerto Rico).
A typical meal often includes fried rice, your choice of meat, and French fries. The fried rice can be different in each restaurant. It might have ingredients like ham, beef, shrimp, egg, lettuce, and onions. In 2020, there were about 450 Chinese restaurants in Puerto Rico. These businesses faced tough times during the COVID-19 pandemic in Puerto Rico.
Popular Dishes to Try
Many tasty dishes are popular in Puerto Rican Chinese restaurants. Here are some you might find:
- Pollo al Ajillo — This dish features chicken and onion slices cooked in garlic and oil.
- Camarones al Ajillo — Similar to pollo al ajillo, but with shrimp instead of chicken, also cooked in garlic and oil.
- Carne Ahumada — These are pieces of pork covered in a sweet red sauce. In American Chinese cuisine, it's often called Boneless Pork Ribs.
- Pepper steak — Thin slices of beef and green pepper are cooked in a brown sauce made with soy sauce.
- Pepper chicken — This is just like pepper steak, but it uses chicken instead of beef.
- Broccoli chicken — Chicken and broccoli are cooked together in a brown sauce that has soy sauce.
- Sweet and sour chicken — A classic dish with chicken in a tangy and sweet sauce.
- Fried chicken — This is deep-fried chicken with a crispy breaded coating. It's very popular and usually not expensive.
- Chow mein — A dish made with stir-fried noodles, meat, and vegetables.
- Chop suey — A mix of meat, eggs, and vegetables, often served with rice.
- Mamposteao — This is fried rice made from day-old rice. It can have diced bell peppers, onions, garlic, ginger, red beans, sweet plantains, soy sauce, bean sprouts, squash, and other vegetables. You can also have it vegan (without meat or animal products) or with bacon, ham, eggs, longaniza (a type of sausage), chicken, or shrimp.
- Egg rolls — Crispy fried rolls filled with vegetables and sometimes meat.
- Tostones — Slices of green plantains that are fried, smashed, and then fried again until crispy. These are a popular Puerto Rican side dish.
Images for kids
-
Puerto Rican fried rice
