Claypot chicken rice is typically served with sliced chicken, salted fish, chinese sausage and vegetables. Usually it is serve with dark soya sauce.
Traditionally, the cooking is done over a charcoal stove, giving the dish a distinctive flavour. The salted fish enhances the taste of the claypot chicken rice. Due to the time consuming method of preparation and slow cooking in a claypot, you will have to wait a period of time (typically 20-30 mins) before the dish is ready.
It is difficult to find traditional claypot chicken rice as most places uses electric stove to heat up the pre-cooked rice with ingredients on the claypot in a bid to save time for diners.
Good news is that there are still such traditional claypot chicken rice in town.
1. Geylang Claypot Chicken Rice, located at 361 Beach Road, opposite The Concourse (was originally at the corner of Lor 33), is one of the place you can go to.
To avoid long waiting time, call the shop (Tel : 67443619) half an hour in advance to make prior reservation and the piping hot claypot chicken rice will be served when reached. You can even add on other dishes offered to go with your meal.
A bowl of lotus root with pork ribs soup is the best complement for your rice.
Other dishes like french bean with shrimp paste, fried beancurd skin & tofu prawn are a good companion too.
2. The other traditional Claypot Chicken Rice stall, as good as Geylang Claypot Chicken Rice, located at Blk 283 Bukit Batok East Ave 3 is worth a visit as well.
The stall uses boneless chicken thigh meat compared to whole-cut chicken depending on individual preference/liking.
3. Not forgetting one other equally champion stall, Yew Chuan Claypot Rice @ 505 Beach Road (Beach Road Food Centre).
This stall is pretty generous with the salted fish. The chilli sauce is also super power. Definitely worth a visit too.
4. Another power stall is none other than Yuan Yuan Claypot Rice at ABC Brickworks Market & Food Centre located in Jalan Bukit Merah.
I love the smoky aroma the moment the lid is removed.
Try it when you have a chance to do so. Likewise, you will expect long queue crowd and you are strongly recommended to call and make prior reservation (Tel : 62765259) to avoid disappointment.
5. Another one such stall that serve traditional claypot rice will be Sembawang Traditional Claypot Rice at 4 Jalan Tampang.
Their claypot rice is equally champion and power. The strong smokey aroma is something that you cannot miss when you are waiting patiently for your claypot rice to be served right up to you.
They are pretty generous with the ingredients as well and importantly flavourfully done. Other than claypot rice, they do offer other zi char items on their menu too.
Lala Bee Hoon
Home-made prawn roll
Shrimp beancurd, this is something unique as the dried shrimp gives the beancurd the umami taste.
One other item that I love is their signature item 三楼米粉. I first came across this dish when I was in Johor Bahru many years back. So, when I knew about the existence of this dish, I just had to come here to get my craving fixed.
Which will you go for?