Saturday, May 13, 2006

Singapore my home, chicken rice our dish

Wee Nam Kee Hainanese Chicken Rice & Restaurant
275 Thomson Road
#01-05 Novena Ville
Tel: 62556396



While some Singaporeans were at the polls last Saturday deciding the future of our nation, I decided to perform a patriotic deed by eating our national dish, chicken rice. When it comes to chicken rice, fat is flavour. The only (damn) reason that the fragrant rice is so tasty is because of the rendered chicken fat that is added to the rice cooking liquid. Low-fat and healthier options such as white rice are now available but in my opinion, if you do so, the whole meal is a little as tak shiok. Part of the whole ritual in eating this dish is smothering your cream-coloured chicken fat laced rice with ribbons of sweet dark soy sauce, chilli sauce and pounded ginger and to mix it all together, matching flavour for flavour. Imagine if you opted for white rice, all you will have then is rice + dark soy sauce + chilli sauce + pounded ginger that’s just not as fun (really, I’ve tried the healthy route and I’ve backtracked).

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I, who would usually shun chicken rice because of the garlic-ginger taste that lingers and lingers and lingers, liked it so much that I’ve been there twice in 7 days (I’m not sure if I’m a convert yet) and so I would go out on a limb and say that this is one of the top 5 chicken rice stalls on our island. Other than the good chilli and the succulent chicken, the shui jiao (water dumpling with minced pork and prawns) is also a must have when I dine here, although don’t bother too much with the soup, just zero on for the bobbing dumplings in the soup. Another tip, if you aren’t too much of a rice fan, you can order a plate of noodles that will be dressed with the savoury chicken sauce, which are great to slurp on with the shui jiao and chicken.

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3 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi again,
SLUURRPP!!.. move over Seeto from MAKANSUTRA, i think you'd get the job hands down!!..Guess what... after a golf, i chanced upon the ORIGINAL.. SWEE KEE chicken rice that used to be on purvis street?.. i think it was... anyway, it has all the original cast, from the chef to the waiter/ aunty (all over CPF age)... and the food was heavenly.. such fragerent rice, but not sticky and not too oily ...mmm... made me forget my score and teh fact that they would need a bulldozer to cover up my divots... problem is i was brought there by my uncle...(cuz i lost and had to buy dinner)..so i will need to ask him where it is if anyone is interested.. its quite hard to discribe and a bit off the beaten track...ah well, i have heard of foodies travelling across singapore for food.. buti wonder if anyone will venture to J.B.. esp. if they add teh $20 toll.. thats would make it more ex than chatterbox!... but tell you what, it was worth it!..

12:27 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Oh wow, chicken rice. I have tried and tried to recreate the flavour of a true Singaporean chicken rice, but to no avail. It will be one expensive meal if I have to fly to Singapore just to get my chicken rice fix!

12:19 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Bill, I don't know where you are from. An ex Singaporean and Hainanese,and living in Sydney for over 30 years, I have made excellent hainanese chicken rice. Like anything esle, practice my man.

1:35 PM  

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