I passed by 源记 chicken rice stall several times during past food hunts and noticed that it was always crowded during lunch. Every time, I was either too full or on my way to somewhere else, and so I have never tried 源记 till today.
Today, I made a special trip to 源记 to find out why their chicken is so popular.
When I arrived and looked at the glass case, I was a little disappointed that it was almost all deep fried chickens. (The boss took out that white poached chicken after I asked if they served it.) So far, I found deep fried chickens at most chicken rice stalls quite uniformly bland in taste, and thus am not a big fan of it.
But, since I already came all the way from downtown JB to TUTA, I ordered a drumstick and rice (RM4 per set) just to try.
One bite and I realised that 源记's delicious chicken rice is a blog worthy stall. And, wondered what took me so long :P
The golden brown chicken skin and the flesh are tender and sweeter than what I tasted at other stalls. The moist chicken flesh has a nice mouth feel of bouncy juicy meat.
源记's rice was good too. Just nicely fragrant and not overly greasy. The long grain rice were of good quality with firm yet tender grains that separate easily.
The small bowl of chicken soup was sweet with tastes of cabbage.
The chili was watery, salty, tangy and mildly spicy. I prefer my chicken rice chili to be pure ground chili peppers. In the end, I hardly used the chili dip as I like 源记's chicken just by itself, to savour it's lovely flavours.
After my meal, I asked the friendly lady boss Mrs Kang how come 源记's deep fried chicken tastes different from others. Mrs Yang shared that 源记's chicken is charcoal grilled first and then deep fried.
(Note: Most average chicken stalls poach their chicken, air dry it and then deep fry.)
Mr Kang, the boss, said they use chicken of an optimum size when the meat is sweetest and has nicer texture - not too young nor too old. Mr Kang shared that 源记鸡饭 has been in business for 20 years.
源记 also serves poached chicken though their top draw is their deep fried chicken. Still, this plump poached chicken looks invitingly yummy and should be worth a try at my next visit.
I like 源记's grilled-then-fried chicken a lot.
If I am in the mood for a lot of chicken, I would be going to 源记 to indulge my craving wholeheartedly without wasting calories and cholesterol. 源记 also sells their whole deep fried chicken at RM25 each. It would be an excellent idea to buy and eat at home :D
Restaurant name: 源记鸡饭 chicken rice stall in Kedai Kopi Yee Chia Ler Address: Jalan Temanggong 11, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai. Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/yzXhA GPS: 1.509252,103.652329 Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm (usually sold out earlier) (Closed on Monday) Non Halal
Date visited: 13 Nov 2013
I passed by 源记 chicken rice stall several times during past food hunts and noticed that it was always crowded during lunch. Every time, I was either too full or on my way to somewhere else, and so I have never tried 源记 till today.
Today, I made a special trip to 源记 to find out why their chicken is so popular.
When I arrived and looked at the glass case, I was a little disappointed that it was almost all deep fried chickens. (The boss took out that white poached chicken after I asked if they served it.) So far, I found deep fried chickens at most chicken rice stalls quite uniformly bland in taste, and thus am not a big fan of it.
But, since I already came all the way from downtown JB to TUTA, I ordered a drumstick and rice (RM4 per set) just to try.
One bite and I realised that 源记's delicious chicken rice is a blog worthy stall. And, wondered what took me so long :P
The golden brown chicken skin and the flesh are tender and sweeter than what I tasted at other stalls. The moist chicken flesh has a nice mouth feel of bouncy juicy meat.
源记's rice was good too. Just nicely fragrant and not overly greasy. The long grain rice were of good quality with firm yet tender grains that separate easily.
The small bowl of chicken soup was sweet with tastes of cabbage.
The chili was watery, salty, tangy and mildly spicy. I prefer my chicken rice chili to be pure ground chili peppers. In the end, I hardly used the chili dip as I like 源记's chicken just by itself, to savour it's lovely flavours.
After my meal, I asked the friendly lady boss Mrs Kang how come 源记's deep fried chicken tastes different from others. Mrs Yang shared that 源记's chicken is charcoal grilled first and then deep fried.
(Note: Most average chicken stalls poach their chicken, air dry it and then deep fry.)
Mr Kang, the boss, said they use chicken of an optimum size when the meat is sweetest and has nicer texture - not too young nor too old. Mr Kang shared that 源记鸡饭 has been in business for 20 years.
源记 also serves poached chicken though their top draw is their deep fried chicken. Still, this plump poached chicken looks invitingly yummy and should be worth a try at my next visit.
I like 源记's grilled-then-fried chicken a lot.
If I am in the mood for a lot of chicken, I would be going to 源记 to indulge my craving wholeheartedly without wasting calories and cholesterol. 源记 also sells their whole deep fried chicken at RM25 each. It would be an excellent idea to buy and eat at home :D
Restaurant name: 源记鸡饭 chicken rice stall in Kedai Kopi Yee Chia Ler Address: Jalan Temanggong 11, Taman Ungku Tun Aminah, Skudai. Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/yzXhA GPS: 1.509252,103.652329 Hours: 9:00am to 2:00pm (usually sold out earlier) (Closed on Monday) Non Halal
Mr. Yong, the boss at Sam Kong restaurant, invited me to try their Guangxi Three Treasures 广西三宝.
I was really excited that Guangxi chicken rice is one of the Guangxi Three Treasures (the other two are Guangxi stuffed toufu and braised belly pork). Good chicken rice is not that common in Johor Bahru. Even more rare is Guangxi style chicken rice as most chicken rice here are either in the Hainanese or Cantonese style.
Guangxi Chicken Rice RM22 for half RM40 for whole bird.
Guangxi chicken is poached in the same way as Hainanese or Cantonese chicken. The same smooth, tender, juicy and naturally sweet flavours of fresh chicken. At Sam Kong, the chicken is chopped into small bite size pieces in the same way as the chicken rice stalls in JB and Singapore. The chicken is drizzled with a soy and sesame oil based sauce. Mr. Kong said that the traditional Guangxi way is to chop the chicken into just a few large pieces. LOL actually I prefer to eat chicken by tearing it apart in large pieces.
This is nam, the sauce that differentiates Guangxi chicken rice from all others. The sauce is a complex blend of fried garlic and onions, parsley, chopped ginger, spring onions, Chinese chives, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Nam is savoury and fragrant, and really enhances the natural sweetness of poached chicken.
The chicken is eaten with the savoury and fragrant nam (dip). This is a unique and delicious way of eating tender poached chicken other than with the usual chili, ginger and soy sauce dips. Eating chicken with nam is a must try.
Mr. Yong said that the traditional way is to drench and smother the chopped chicken with the nam. Next time, I shall ask to eat my Guangxi chicken in the old fashioned way.
For those of us who still want our chili sauce, Sam Kong's fresh ground chili sauce is very good too. The dip tastes hot and tangy as it is made with fresh chili pepper, ginger, lime and lime peels. It's a great dip for the chicken.
However, Guangxi chicken rice is not served with soup unlike the Hainanese or Cantonese style.
Guangxi Toufu RM8
Well, in place of the soup, we can separately order the Guangxi toufu which comes with a savoury soup made with anchovies and soy beans.
Guangxi chicken rice is served with plain steamed white rice (not the oily flavoured rice eaten with Hainanese or Cantonese chicken).
Give Sam Kong's Guangxi chicken rice a try for a change in style from the usual.
Restaurant name: Sam Kong Restaurant 三江 Address: 8-H, Jalan Ungku Mohsin, Kampung Ungku Mohsin, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/N8BmU GPS: 1.514005,103.740173 Hours: 11:00am to 11:00pm (Monday closed) Non Halal
Date visited: 14 May 2013, 16 Jul 2013
Mr. Yong, the boss at Sam Kong restaurant, invited me to try their Guangxi Three Treasures 广西三宝.
I was really excited that Guangxi chicken rice is one of the Guangxi Three Treasures (the other two are Guangxi stuffed toufu and braised belly pork). Good chicken rice is not that common in Johor Bahru. Even more rare is Guangxi style chicken rice as most chicken rice here are either in the Hainanese or Cantonese style.
Guangxi Chicken Rice RM22 for half RM40 for whole bird.
Guangxi chicken is poached in the same way as Hainanese or Cantonese chicken. The same smooth, tender, juicy and naturally sweet flavours of fresh chicken. At Sam Kong, the chicken is chopped into small bite size pieces in the same way as the chicken rice stalls in JB and Singapore. The chicken is drizzled with a soy and sesame oil based sauce. Mr. Kong said that the traditional Guangxi way is to chop the chicken into just a few large pieces. LOL actually I prefer to eat chicken by tearing it apart in large pieces.
This is nam, the sauce that differentiates Guangxi chicken rice from all others. The sauce is a complex blend of fried garlic and onions, parsley, chopped ginger, spring onions, Chinese chives, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil. Nam is savoury and fragrant, and really enhances the natural sweetness of poached chicken.
The chicken is eaten with the savoury and fragrant nam (dip). This is a unique and delicious way of eating tender poached chicken other than with the usual chili, ginger and soy sauce dips. Eating chicken with nam is a must try.
Mr. Yong said that the traditional way is to drench and smother the chopped chicken with the nam. Next time, I shall ask to eat my Guangxi chicken in the old fashioned way.
For those of us who still want our chili sauce, Sam Kong's fresh ground chili sauce is very good too. The dip tastes hot and tangy as it is made with fresh chili pepper, ginger, lime and lime peels. It's a great dip for the chicken.
However, Guangxi chicken rice is not served with soup unlike the Hainanese or Cantonese style.
Guangxi Toufu RM8
Well, in place of the soup, we can separately order the Guangxi toufu which comes with a savoury soup made with anchovies and soy beans.
Guangxi chicken rice is served with plain steamed white rice (not the oily flavoured rice eaten with Hainanese or Cantonese chicken).
Give Sam Kong's Guangxi chicken rice a try for a change in style from the usual.
Restaurant name: Sam Kong Restaurant 三江 Address: 8-H, Jalan Ungku Mohsin, Kampung Ungku Mohsin, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/N8BmU GPS: 1.514005,103.740173 Hours: 11:00am to 11:00pm (Monday closed) Non Halal
I heard a lot about a popular kampung chicken rice stall in Taman Sri Tebrau and finally tracked down Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 today.
The key man at the stall is Ah Fei who does all the cutting and cooking.
Ah Fei worked at his dad's chicken rice stall when he was a boy and he worked at a chicken rice stall in Jurong (Block 505), Singapore for many years before returning to Johor Bahru. This stall is named after his partner, Ah Lee 亚李.
I asked for a drumstick so my chicken rice set came to RM7.50. The "normal" chicken set costs RM6.50.
The drumstick was longer and more slender compared to the usual farm chicken or "meat chicken 肉鸡 " as it is known here. The meat was neatly cut and nicely presented.
The thigh meat was tender, juicy and very slightly stringier that "meat chicken". The meat has streaks of smooth gelatinous jelly in between which I love. The smooth chicken meat had a pleasant, lightly savoury flavour. I didn't pay much attention to the sauce as I wanted to taste the kampung chicken's natural flavours.
Caught a pic of another customer's order. Ah Fei obviously takes pride in presenting his food - no topsy turvy random heap of scattered bones and chicken pieces here and there.
Ah Fei told me that his stall uses good quality Thai fragrant rice to cook their chicken rice. Ah Lee's chicken rice is indeed fragrant and the loose, tender grains were lightly coated with chicken fat.
This soup may look clear and ordinary but it has body and is savoury and flavourful. It was one of those soups that I will ask for seconds, which I actually did ;)
The chicken rice was served with ground chili and ginger. I just did a dip test - both were fresh and complemented the chicken well. I didn't use the chili or ginger much as I wanted to savour the natural flavour of the kampung chicken.
If you are looking for kampung chicken rice, give Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 a try.
Restaurant name: Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 Address: Junction of Jalan Badik and Jalan Badik 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WTb4d GPS: 1.486227,103.768959 Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 midnight Non Halal
Date visited: 27 May 2013
I heard a lot about a popular kampung chicken rice stall in Taman Sri Tebrau and finally tracked down Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 today.
The key man at the stall is Ah Fei who does all the cutting and cooking.
Ah Fei worked at his dad's chicken rice stall when he was a boy and he worked at a chicken rice stall in Jurong (Block 505), Singapore for many years before returning to Johor Bahru. This stall is named after his partner, Ah Lee 亚李.
I asked for a drumstick so my chicken rice set came to RM7.50. The "normal" chicken set costs RM6.50.
The drumstick was longer and more slender compared to the usual farm chicken or "meat chicken 肉鸡 " as it is known here. The meat was neatly cut and nicely presented.
The thigh meat was tender, juicy and very slightly stringier that "meat chicken". The meat has streaks of smooth gelatinous jelly in between which I love. The smooth chicken meat had a pleasant, lightly savoury flavour. I didn't pay much attention to the sauce as I wanted to taste the kampung chicken's natural flavours.
Caught a pic of another customer's order. Ah Fei obviously takes pride in presenting his food - no topsy turvy random heap of scattered bones and chicken pieces here and there.
Ah Fei told me that his stall uses good quality Thai fragrant rice to cook their chicken rice. Ah Lee's chicken rice is indeed fragrant and the loose, tender grains were lightly coated with chicken fat.
This soup may look clear and ordinary but it has body and is savoury and flavourful. It was one of those soups that I will ask for seconds, which I actually did ;)
The chicken rice was served with ground chili and ginger. I just did a dip test - both were fresh and complemented the chicken well. I didn't use the chili or ginger much as I wanted to savour the natural flavour of the kampung chicken.
If you are looking for kampung chicken rice, give Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 a try.
Restaurant name: Ah Lee Kampung Chicken Rice 亚李菜园鸡饭 Address: Junction of Jalan Badik and Jalan Badik 1, Taman Sri Tebrau, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/WTb4d GPS: 1.486227,103.768959 Hours: 4:00pm to 12:00 midnight Non Halal
When I was at Chang Man to try out their Hong Kong dim sum, besides being impressed with their dim sum, I also enjoyed their chicken and char siew rice. Today, I went back to Chang Man 常满 again, specially for their chicken and char siew rice.
Chang Man included chicken and char siew in their menu to appeal to a wider customer base. Furthermore, Kok Weng, one of the partners is skillful in roast meats as he had worked in one of Kuala Lumpur's top roast meat restaurants for nearly 20 years.
As chicken and char siew rice is not the main business of Chang Man, the amount made each day is quite small - only five chickens and half a dozen strips of char siew.
Chang Man's staff goes to the wet market to buy the fresh chicken everyday.
We had this plate of mixed chicken and char siew. This set for two persons came with two bowls of rice and soup, and costed RM13.
The poached chicken was made with ordinary farm raised chicken. The thick flesh was tender, sweet and savoury.
Some parts were slightly rare as in the Cantonese style of poached chicken. I like this style and make it the same way at home - slightly rare, retaining more of the chicken's natural juices. I learnt how to make this style of poached chicken from my Hong Kong school mates when I was studying in Canada in the 1980s.
The char siew I had today had quite a bit of fat attached... but I didn't worry too much about it :P
The char siew was irresistibly tender, sweet and savoury.
The tender rice was fluffy and very lightly coated with fragrant oil. I didn't take a picture of the tasty soup.
The chili sauce was average - a blend of chili, garlic and ginger.
We also shared this RM6 chicken hor fun soup. The same succulent chicken was served in a savoury seafood broth with pleasant umami flavour. The hor fun rice noodles were average.
Give Chang Man's chicken and char siew a try if you are around the Nusa Bestari and Bukit Indah area.
Restaurant name: Chang Man 常满 Hong Kong Dim Sum Chicken Rice Hor Fun Address: 24G, Jalan Bestari 5/2, Taman Nusa Bestari, Skudai, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/DfrpV GPS: 1.481122,103.665189 Hours: 8:00am to 8:00pm (Closed on alternate Fridays) Non Halal
When I was at Chang Man to try out their Hong Kong dim sum, besides being impressed with their dim sum, I also enjoyed their chicken and char siew rice. Today, I went back to Chang Man 常满 again, specially for their chicken and char siew rice.
Chang Man included chicken and char siew in their menu to appeal to a wider customer base. Furthermore, Kok Weng, one of the partners is skillful in roast meats as he had worked in one of Kuala Lumpur's top roast meat restaurants for nearly 20 years.
As chicken and char siew rice is not the main business of Chang Man, the amount made each day is quite small - only five chickens and half a dozen strips of char siew.
Chang Man's staff goes to the wet market to buy the fresh chicken everyday.
We had this plate of mixed chicken and char siew. This set for two persons came with two bowls of rice and soup, and costed RM13.
The poached chicken was made with ordinary farm raised chicken. The thick flesh was tender, sweet and savoury.
Some parts were slightly rare as in the Cantonese style of poached chicken. I like this style and make it the same way at home - slightly rare, retaining more of the chicken's natural juices. I learnt how to make this style of poached chicken from my Hong Kong school mates when I was studying in Canada in the 1980s.
The char siew I had today had quite a bit of fat attached... but I didn't worry too much about it :P
The char siew was irresistibly tender, sweet and savoury.
The tender rice was fluffy and very lightly coated with fragrant oil. I didn't take a picture of the tasty soup.
The chili sauce was average - a blend of chili, garlic and ginger.
We also shared this RM6 chicken hor fun soup. The same succulent chicken was served in a savoury seafood broth with pleasant umami flavour. The hor fun rice noodles were average.
Give Chang Man's chicken and char siew a try if you are around the Nusa Bestari and Bukit Indah area.
Restaurant name: Chang Man 常满 Hong Kong Dim Sum Chicken Rice Hor Fun Address: 24G, Jalan Bestari 5/2, Taman Nusa Bestari, Skudai, Johor Bahru Map: http://goo.gl/maps/DfrpV GPS: 1.481122,103.665189 Hours: 8:00am to 8:00pm (Closed on alternate Fridays) Non Halal
Swee Kee 瑞记 Hainanese chicken rice ruled the chicken rice world in Singapore for two generations from 1949 before closing in Feb 1997. The plan originally was to renovate and expand the old shop in Middle Road, Singapore which had become an icon for locals and tourists alike. Meanwhile, the family and workers returned to Senai in Johor where they came from. In Jun 1997, the relatives set up New Swee Kee 新瑞记 with the blessing of the founder Mr. Po 莫瑞安 who (for unknown reasons) did not proceed with the plans to expand Swee Kee in Singapore.
I have (unfortunately) never tried the original Swee Kee in Singapore but the worker who had been with the old shop told me some interesting snippets about it. He said that every day the founding boss 莫瑞安 would personally select the live chickens one by one, picking only the best ones. The chickens were then slaughtered at the old shop ensuring that the meat was super fresh. The old shop also used the best imported Thai fragrant rice.
Other than these two aspects, New Swee Kee followed the traditions of the old shop as the owner (who is a nephew of the founder) and some of the workers are from the old shop. This is the current boss, the younger Mr. Po 莫泽安's son-in-law who will help take Swee Kee into the third generation.
New Swee Kee has done rather well - it was named one of the Top Ten chicken rice shops in Malaysia by Guang Ming Daily 光明日報 in 2007. New Swee Kee now occupies two shop lots in Senai. On the wall are several pictures of visits by celebrities and familiar dignitaries.
Now, Swee Kee is popular among the workers from the nearby Senai industrial park and golfers from the nearby Palm Golf Resort. Travellers using Senai airport also drop by.
The chickens are laid out in the old way in traditional large enamelled pans. Those in the foreground are normal farm chickens 肉鸡 and those in the background are kampung chickens.
We had half of a normal farm chicken 肉鸡. The chicken meat was tender with a firm, springy bite (not soft). The meat had a nice subtle chicken flavour and aroma.
The rice was fragrant, fluffy, flavoured with chicken oil but was not overly greasy.
The clear chicken soup that comes with the order was fragrant and tasty. The umami flavour come from slow boiling these chicken heads and necks.
Swee Kee's ginger sauce is outstanding. It has the aroma and taste of ginger blended with savouriness from chicken oil.
The chili sauce was the watery, drippy kind. My preference is for my chili sauce to be like a paste.
We liked this fried taugeh (bean sprout) side dish. The fresh taugeh was stir fried with bits of salted fish and lard crackles.
Our total bill for half a normal farm chicken, taugeh and two herbal drinks came to RM25.
Swee Kee chicken rice is certainly one of the better chicken rice shops in Johor. I will eat at Swee Kee again, if I am nearby.
Restaurant name: Swee Kee 瑞记海南鸡饭 Address: 98, Jalan Bintang, Taman Bintang, Senai, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/HAKB8 GPS: 1.614658,103.659009 Hours: 9:00am to 7:00pm (close at 3:00pm on Mondays) Non Halal
Date visited: 29 Apr 2012
Swee Kee 瑞记 Hainanese chicken rice ruled the chicken rice world in Singapore for two generations from 1949 before closing in Feb 1997. The plan originally was to renovate and expand the old shop in Middle Road, Singapore which had become an icon for locals and tourists alike. Meanwhile, the family and workers returned to Senai in Johor where they came from. In Jun 1997, the relatives set up New Swee Kee 新瑞记 with the blessing of the founder Mr. Po 莫瑞安 who (for unknown reasons) did not proceed with the plans to expand Swee Kee in Singapore.
I have (unfortunately) never tried the original Swee Kee in Singapore but the worker who had been with the old shop told me some interesting snippets about it. He said that every day the founding boss 莫瑞安 would personally select the live chickens one by one, picking only the best ones. The chickens were then slaughtered at the old shop ensuring that the meat was super fresh. The old shop also used the best imported Thai fragrant rice.
Other than these two aspects, New Swee Kee followed the traditions of the old shop as the owner (who is a nephew of the founder) and some of the workers are from the old shop. This is the current boss, the younger Mr. Po 莫泽安's son-in-law who will help take Swee Kee into the third generation.
New Swee Kee has done rather well - it was named one of the Top Ten chicken rice shops in Malaysia by Guang Ming Daily 光明日報 in 2007. New Swee Kee now occupies two shop lots in Senai. On the wall are several pictures of visits by celebrities and familiar dignitaries.
Now, Swee Kee is popular among the workers from the nearby Senai industrial park and golfers from the nearby Palm Golf Resort. Travellers using Senai airport also drop by.
The chickens are laid out in the old way in traditional large enamelled pans. Those in the foreground are normal farm chickens 肉鸡 and those in the background are kampung chickens.
We had half of a normal farm chicken 肉鸡. The chicken meat was tender with a firm, springy bite (not soft). The meat had a nice subtle chicken flavour and aroma.
The rice was fragrant, fluffy, flavoured with chicken oil but was not overly greasy.
The clear chicken soup that comes with the order was fragrant and tasty. The umami flavour come from slow boiling these chicken heads and necks.
Swee Kee's ginger sauce is outstanding. It has the aroma and taste of ginger blended with savouriness from chicken oil.
The chili sauce was the watery, drippy kind. My preference is for my chili sauce to be like a paste.
We liked this fried taugeh (bean sprout) side dish. The fresh taugeh was stir fried with bits of salted fish and lard crackles.
Our total bill for half a normal farm chicken, taugeh and two herbal drinks came to RM25.
Swee Kee chicken rice is certainly one of the better chicken rice shops in Johor. I will eat at Swee Kee again, if I am nearby.
Restaurant name: Swee Kee 瑞记海南鸡饭 Address: 98, Jalan Bintang, Taman Bintang, Senai, Johor Map: http://goo.gl/maps/HAKB8 GPS: 1.614658,103.659009 Hours: 9:00am to 7:00pm (close at 3:00pm on Mondays) Non Halal
