Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice: Is Michelin Bib Gourmand charcoal claypot chicken rice worth the hype?
While there is certainly no shortage of Claypot Chicken Rice dishes in the Klang Valley, it can be quite tough to find a significantly good one. Most of the claypot rice you find there can either be too mushy, or lack aroma, in my opinion. So when I found out about Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice, I jumped to try it as it is widely regarded as one of the best-tasting Claypot Chicken Rice in Kuala Lumpur.
Set in an old but neatly organised dining area not far from the Pudu wet markets, Heun Kee has long been loved by locals since 1985.
The charcoal stove at the front of the restaurant adds intense heat to the claypot, producing cooked rice with intense charcoal flavours and interesting textures as well as aromas. Choose from a variety of soups, vegetables and side dishes to enrich your dining experience.
What I tried at Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice
A standard bowl of Claypot Chicken Rice (S) (RM16) with and Chinese sausages (RM5) was enough to be shared between me and my dining partner. However, if you are a big eater, I suggest you opt for the large portion which costs RM28.
As I mixed everything in the claypot while it was still piping hot, a strong and smoky aroma hit us hard. Although we opted for extra Chinese sausage, the restaurant was already quite generous with their chicken meat. Salted fish is given separately on top of the rice.
The secret to Heun Kee’s celebrated success is the cooking method used for every bowl of claypot rice. Still practising traditional charcoal cooking to this day, the applied two-way heat system to cook the dish is what appeals to its customers.
The heat from the bottom cooks the rice. Meanwhile, the heat from the top comes from burning charcoal on an iron lid. It cooks the marinated chicken. This traps the juice and keeps the chicken moist, and also chars the chicken in contact with the lid.
Taste-wise, the rice was soft and fluffy, with each grain distinct and moist, but not mushy. The chicken pieces in the claypot were well marinated with flavours of soy, sesame oil, Chinese wine and a hint of ginger. Although I mixed in all of the salted fish, the saltiness wasn’t too overpowering. In fact it gave a good balance of salty flavours and enhanced the overall dish.
I noticed that the Claypot Chicken Rice was piping hot throughout our meal. I believe this must be the benefit of cooking over charcoal as the heat tends to remain longer. Although Claypot Chicken Rice is the most popular and obvious option here, other things on the menu have, in time, gained popularity.
There’s the Stewed Chicken, Homemade Seafood Tofu, Pig’s Stomach in Pepper Soup, Pig’s Trotters, Grouper Fish Head Curry, and Claypot Kampung Chicken in Chinese Wine.
Final thoughts
Simply put, Heun Kee Claypot Chicken Rice is one of (if not) the best Claypot Chicken Rice in Kuala Lumpur. The claypot dishes here were perfectly cooked and tasted quite delicious.
The only downside of this restaurant is that the food is cooked by foreigners as Madam Heun has passed down her skills to her workers. Nonetheless, they were skilful in their craft and needless to say, I will visit Heun Kee again.
Expected damage: RM16 – RM30 per pax
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