Singapore’s oldest hen rice stall serves old-school variations for almost 70 years at Chinatown Heng Ji Chicken Rice

Heng Ji Chicken Rice might be the oldest hen rice stall in Singapore that’s nonetheless standing. Rooted in Smith Street, Chinatown, for over 60 years, the hen rice stall has been serving its personal fanbase for the longest time even when it was positioned at a meals alley again in 1970. Now relocated to Chinatown Complex Food Centre, the brightly lit stall sits on the pink zone of the hawker centre.

Something in me needed Heng Ji Chicken Rice as my lunch repair that day. What I didn’t count on was the loopy lunch crowd on the hawker centre to be completely insane. I knew Chinatown Complex to be a labyrinth with 220 stalls, however I used to be overwhelmed by the queues that had been at each nook and nook. The hawker was the epitome of the phrase, “packed like sardines”.

There we go, I discovered Heng Ji Chicken Rice after strolling by means of the maze. The brightly lit white signage may be very distinct and hardly missable. Unlike what I believed, I anticipated a protracted queue. But I’ll depend my blessings of not queuing and rapidly get my plate earlier than it varieties!

The show of the distinct pale white hen is their specialty— old-school hen rice. While many hen rice stalls provide a variation away from the normal poached hen, with choices of roasted hen rice or lemon hen rice, Heng Ji Chicken Rice solely specialises in poached hen rice.

There had been 3 folks attending to the stall. An older man chopping up hen, a girl who appears to be the spouse of the elder man receiving orders and a youthful man behind the stall dealing with operations.

I used to be fairly stunned by this as I used to be anticipating the aged woman that used to helm the shop after I visited fairly quite a lot of years again. Maybe I wasn’t caught updated, however Heng Ji Chicken Rice has undergone 2 change in house owners for the reason that pandemic struck in 2020.

I chatted up the proprietor by asking how lengthy the stall has been opened and he talked about that his boss opened this stall for “70 years”. I did up my very own analysis solely to seek out out that they used to open a road stall by the meals alley at Smith Street. I knew this stall was previous however I didn’t understand it was that previous!

What I attempted at Heng Ji Chicken

As I deliberated between ordering 1 / 4 or half a hen, the uncle advised that I ordered the S$10 portion hen for 2 pax. Their quarter hen prices S$8/S$9 and half a hen prices S$14, so the in between was certainly good for me. This goes to point out that uncle actually does know his clients!

I additionally received two bowls of rice for my associate and I for S$0.70 every.

Throughout the years, the costs have risen from S$2.50 for a bowl of hen rice to S$3.80. However, the elevate is warranted as a result of latest pandemic circumstances and GST hike.

I collected my mountain-like plate of hen. The value was not dangerous for its portion!

The succulent poached kampung hen was chopped up into many items and I rapidly dived straight to seek out the thickest minimize of meat. Poached to an ideal doneness, the meat was tender sufficient to hold a sure chew to it.

Time to begin my meal! How else do I take pleasure in my hen however with a bowl of aromatic hen rice?

With a slice of soggy cucumber and a pinch of chilli, my expertise was accomplished. A chew in and it was as if I used to be again within the 70s, savouring the hen rice that carried so a few years of heritage beginning on the roadside of the previous Smith Road. It was actually a mouthful of nostalgia.

While I can go on and on with reward for Heng Ji Chicken Rice, one factor I needed they may’ve achieved higher was to have bigger bowls of rice. Albeit priced at a less expensive charge, the bowls had been fairly small. Hence, if in case you have a bigger urge for food you may completely go for one other bowl!

Something else that I famous was the perfume of pungent spring onions. This was clearly from the liberal use spring onions that had been minimize up and sprinkled on prime of the beautiful plate. I really like how onions add a tangy style to the already candy tasting hen.

Although the plate was not overtly saucy, the portion was adequate sufficient to focus on the principle dish. The hen is already tender and juicy by itself, so there isn’t any have to douse extra sauce on prime of it.

However, it’s simple to inform that the chef took discover into each single part with the fragrant notes from the sauce. The salty-savoury tasting sauce might be made with a base of sesame oil with a touch of darkish sauce for a light-weight sweetness that pairs actually properly with the protein.

Chicken rice is minimalistic in its nature. Usually, it consists of hen, you fan, and cucumber, so each single part is extraordinarily vital! Over right here, the cucumbers had been soggy from the location of how they sat under the hen. Drenched within the beautiful juices of meat and sauce, they tasted extraordinarily scrumptious.

Most of my fussy mates are normally caught shoving their cucumber parts to the facet at any time when we’ve hen rice. While I perceive how cucumber will be a component that folks don’t take pleasure in due to its tasteless nature, this was totally different. Unlike most cucumbers served with hen rice which can be exhausting and crunchy, these had a semblance to nonya achar, which tastes much less uncooked and rather more flavourful!

Final ideas

Chicken rice is such a easy meal, however indefinitely pleasing at Heng Ji Chicken Rice. This is my definition of straightforward pleasures.

I can perceive how the passing of possession may have an effect on the recognition of the stalls, however I consider that they nonetheless maintain a sure commonplace to have the ability to maintain for thus a few years. Thanks for satisfying my hen rice cravings, Heng Ji Chicken Rice! It was as if my grandmother cooked up a fare for me.

Expected harm: S$3.80 – $6 per pax

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