Friday 23 November 2007

Review: Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice

**Non-Halal**

I’ve been following Heun Kee up and down the road for the past 10 years! Oh no, no!! Heun Kee is not a super star nor a celebrity, just that I’m the Claypot Chicken Groupie!!! I’ve lost count the number of times they’ve shifted for the past 15 years but thank goodness, Heun Kee is now rooted at the corner of Jalan Yew.

When they first started their business in this current lot, the cooking of claypot rice was done at the back kitchen but I guess that was a bad idea since the charcoal stoves are indeed an advertisement to them to attract customers. So they moved the stoves to the front and now no one can missed them out anymore.Check out how the charcoal stoves roar away!

HK - Huen Kee Claypot Chicken Rice

You’ll understand why I’m a Heun Kee’s groupie as they could churn out one of the better claypot chicken rice in town where the rice is cooked to perfection, nary undercooked with a layer of aromatic crusty rice at the bottom of the pot which is a treasure to unearth as one dig deeper. Their chicken is always cooked just right, retainining its juices. The secret to such perfections is by cooking the claypot with firery charcoals under AND above the claypots!

HK - charcoal cooked rice HK - close up, see how they place charcoal on top of claypot

This is how the end result looked like… with loads of chicken pieces, slices of Chinese sausages and topped with chopped spring onions with salted fish served served separately. To serve, all one need to do is pour in the salted fish, mix and stir the rice with the ingredients thoroughly and as you do that, you can smell the fragrant dash of cooking wine they added towards the end of the cooking process. It’s simply divine! A small pot for one person will cost RM6.50, medium for 2 at RM13.00 and a large one for 3 - 4 is going for RM18.00. Please note that chicken thighs request will cost slightly more.

HK - claypot chic rice with salted fish

Other than chicken, you can opt for a mixed Chinese dried sausages and waxed meat pot instead. Heun Kee also serves a mean claypot curry fish head! Just order a pot of plain white rice to go with the curry.This trip we have a small plate of Seafood Tofu (minimum 5 pieces, RM5.00), basically it’s mashed tofu and seafood, shaped into bricks and deep fried. Absolutely great with the chili dip.

HK - seafood tofu HK - seafood tofu great with chili dip

This medium plate (RM6.00) of Stir-fried Romaine Lettuce with Fermented Beancurd (foo yue) was fried with enough wok hei (breath of the wok) that enhances the foo yue laced vegetable many folds.

HK - fu yue yau mak

Parking is aplenty underneath the flyover in the evening but nightmarish during the day. Do let me know if you’re a groupie too, just like me, or turned one after trying them out after reading this!!


Kedai Makanan Heun Kee (Claypot Chicken Rice)
59, Ground Floor, Jalan Yew, Pudu,
55100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: 03-9200 1603
Opening Hours: 11.30am to 9.30pm

This article was originally published in Notes From Venus.


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21 comments:

  1. Looks good. Is this opposite Sek Yuen?

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  2. I love the claypot chicken rice here. The rice is so fragrant. The soups are pretty good too.

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  3. I've never tried waxed meat claypot rice before. wonder how its like, will try one day.

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  4. Looks delicious! Anything cooked with charcoal always taste better!

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  5. hey I had a bad, terrible, experience at this place.

    I was there 1 1/2 months ago, and caught them on a terrible day.

    Their so called reputation of making delicious nice claypot chicken rice, gone down the drain..

    Here's the story....

    When I arrived at 730pm (obviously peak period), the place was full.I ordered one Poli Sang Choi, One Dbl Boiled Soup, and one Claypot rice.

    1) I waited 40 minutes for my food to arrive.
    2) The soup arrived first, and found it too salty, and full of MSG.
    3) I thought ok la give chance, I was here for the claypot rice. When it arrived, it was burnt. SO I asked auntie to change another pot for me, and I had to wait another 20 minutes. In that 20 minutes, I had to hear the auntie nag nag on about, "when cooking claypot rice, there shouldn't be any short cuts, cannot rush la...this la that la...", and when the rice finally got back to me again, again it was burnt...

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  6. ooo..the pics look so yummy that i am already craving for claypot chicken rice liow..but none near our office. it will have to be tonite then before I can satisfy this craving... :p

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  7. The cooking method is quite unique.

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  8. pea, it's not opposite sek yuen, this is opposite may king the famous lam mee

    lemongrass, yeah but never had soup here before, must try one day

    mamabok, come come

    imbi, it's nice but usually available during chinese new year

    totally agree with you, nothing more nothing less

    adui, bernsy, it must hv been a bad day for you and them :p

    amboi kesiannya yozora, hope you hv cured yr craving

    yeah jason, usually charcoal at the bottom but here on top as well

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  9. gosh so unique!!! going to try thr claypot chick rice out!! and the beancurd look GREAT!! yammmmmmm~

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  10. too bad that i hardly come by this area... would really love to try their claypot rice i heard it's really good here!

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  11. Mmmm...more reasons to go downtown! ;o)

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  12. Babe - yalor... now my Sayang dunwan go there anymore... right opposite of that restaurant, you should be able to find another shop selling the same thing... lol..

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  13. yum! using charcoal to make this is the best way man..

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  14. hmm not a big fan of claypot chicken rice, but that tofu looks like its calling me

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  15. I know how to get to this place.

    How to join groupie?

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  16. Hello Babe, I really enjoy reading your flog. The places that you eat are very interesting and I have try a few of them too. I hope you don't mind, but I tag you for a meme.

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  17. Wow...the food looks authentically prepared and with the cooking done with charcoals, i am sure the food taste much better.

    Do checkout my blog too (a mix of flog and day-to-day agendas)

    Cheers!

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  18. Just had claypot chicken rice myself (a blackpepper variety) last nite at Damansara Jaya... but this one looks so much better! *slurps*

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  19. Love it.

    There is a reason why she has had to move around a lot.

    Story has it that she used to operate in other people's shops and eventually the crowd builds up and the owner of the shop kicks her out and starts their own.

    I normally order it with extra chicken and tell her to make it less salty.

    On average I am there 2-3 times a week.

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  20. hi all, i guess what make it delicious is the charcoal on top and bottom to cook up a pot! must hv bring out all the flavours from the chicken.

    thanks lovely msia food for the compliments but i;m really sorry i've to give yr meme a pass. i usually dun do meme moreover, i'm stumped with work.

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16 Oct 2012