There may be something to this thing call "Law of Attraction". I mean, I was researching the different types of chicken rice dishes in Singapore, and buddy Wilbur of AroiMakMak's post on a low profile chicken rice shop in Golden Mile Complex caught my attention.
Shop unit #01-15B is at the ground level, right in front of the taxi stand and behind the red fronted East Asia Forex money changer.
It's literally a hole in the wall shop with just two small tables along the corridor.
It's one of those nondescript, "walk past" shops which you won't notice unless you were tipped off. Thanks Wilbur for the recommendation.
Chicken rice, char siew, and sio bak were part of the menu.
Shop owner Ah Liang hails from the southern Thai city of Hat Yai where he ran a Thai food stall. In Singapore, Ah Liang runs his Golden Mile Complex shop singlehandedly from taking orders, cooking, to collecting money.
The chicken is cooked in a very similar way to Singapore chicken rice as both Thai and Singapore chicken rice have Hainanese and Cantonese roots. The bird is poached and then dunked in water with ice.
I decided that it was not a good idea to share a small table for two with strangers in these times, so tapao-ed (takeaway) to eat at Golden Mile Food Centre just across the road.
This set for $5 with rice, chicken, liver, cucumber, sauce and soup in plastic bag 😄
I asked for chicken thigh and it came deboned, lightly dressed with a dribble of dark soy sauce. The chicken meat and skin were soft-tender and smooth. Cooked through in the Thai way with no pink anywhere. I like it that I can taste a bit of natural chicken sweetness in the soft-tender, juicy meat.
Ah Liang asked me if I wanted chicken liver. Yes, please, thank you 🙏
The poached liver was good - soft-tender with natural sweet savoury liver taste.
Rice was on the moist and starchy side but was well enveloped and infused with savoury flavours and fragrance from boiling in chicken stock and grease. It was not overly greasy.
Truth be told, I felt there is little to tell Thai and Singapore chicken rice apart as far as chicken and rice go. The difference lies in the sauce.
I enjoyed Ah Liang's Thai style chili sauce which is made with soy sauce, tau cheo (fermented soy bean), garlic, ginger, and chili pepper. The taste of all these ingredients were assertive and I can taste all their robust presence. I love the presence of tau cheo in the sauce.
I would speculate that the tau cheo came from Teochew influence but need more research on it. (There are around 10 million Teochew in Thailand, making up nearly 15% of Thailand's total population.)
I appreciate it that Ah Liang does not compromise on quality even though he is running a one man operation. He took the trouble to skin his cucumbers. Normally, I would not eat cucumbers at chicken rice, duck rice or nasi lemak stalls as I dislike the green and bitter taste of leathery cucumber skin. But, this skinned cucumber at Ah Liang's shop was all crunch, juice and refreshing sweetness. Bravo! 👍
The chicken soup tasted savoury sweet peppery. I like it but didn't drink much of it as it was served in a plastic bag 🤔
Chicken meat this soft-tender and naturally sweet, rice this flavourful and fragrant, I know a few stalls in Singapore that have them. But, paired with this Thai style chili sauce with tau cheo, I know only Ah Liang's hole in the wall, no name shop #01-15B in Golden Mile Complex. Love it.
Where else can we find Thai chicken rice in Singapore?
Written by Tony Boey on 3 Mar 2022
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