Mei Nan Chicken Rice Ball @ Taman ASEAN, Malim Jaya, Malacca 美南鸡饭马六甲

Mei Nan 美南鸡饭 | Taman ASEAN, 257 Jalan Taman ASEAN, Malacca ☎ +6017 660 0548 🕙 7am - 2pm (Mon & Tues off)

I am always fascinated by the chicken rice ball dish.

The first chicken rice hawker in Singapore sold chicken rice balls in the 1940s, but it is extinct in Singapore now except as a novelty. Over in Hainan island, they also don't sell chicken rice balls nowadays. Fortunately, the traditional rice ball is still fairly common in Malacca (and Muar).

Most of us have tried the famous ones in the Jonker Street tourist belt. Fortunately, I have a chance to try one which locals go to - Mei Nan 美南 in Taman ASEAN, Malim Jaya.

Mei Nan 美南 has been in Malim Jaya area for six decades. It has a loyal, multi generational following among locals but doesn't have a high social media profile (as it is far from tourist hot spots).

Current owner, 陈玟璋 Tan Boon Mung's father 陈玉衡 went to Singapore from Hainan and found a job in a restaurant in the 1940s. Armed with cooking skills, Tan's father came to Malacca in the 1950s and started his own business.

In the old days, many Hainanese coffee shops made and sold their own bao 包 (steamed buns). Tan's family still do today. I didn't try their bao as they were sold out when we got here.

At Mei Nan, they air dry their poached birds in the old Hainanese way without dunking them in water (as the Cantonese do).

Mei Nan also has fried chicken. Tan shared that in the old days, customers only want poached chicken because poached birds will change colour when it is no longer fresh. So, customers can easily tell whether the bird is good or bad. For fried chicken, some customers wondered if the boss fried leftover poached birds they can't sell.

But, times and preferences have changed. Today, poached and fried chicken are equally popular. (On a side note: Some chicken rice bosses in Singapore told me that their fried chicken outsell their poached chicken.)

Mei Nan still have traditional rice balls made the old way since the founder's time.

Our chicken rice serving with five rice balls and 鸡尾 lower quarter cut chicken.

The tender moist chicken meat was lightly dressed in savoury soy sauce, oil and scallion. The meat had a nice gentle chicky flavour (which I like in my chicken).

The rice balls have a smooth surface with a subtle sheen, reminding me of mochi balls, ping pong ball size.

The rice was cooked in chicken stock till soft, then hand mashed, pressed and rolled into compact but soft balls while hot (hard work!).

The balls have a savoury, subtle sweet taste and aroma. They were not overly greasy nor wet, but just nicely moist and tender. They can be sold without the chicken and people often buy the rice balls as a snack. It's my Malacca kaki SH's childhood memory.

The chili sauce they provide was spicy hot, tangy and savoury. Nice.

The cucumber was nicely cut and skin removed, so we tasted only refreshing sweetness in the crunchy gourd.

There was no soup served.

The kopi C kosong was good. The bittersweet brew was smooth and fragrant. Mei Nan was afterall a Hainanese kopitiam.

Malacca has many chicken rice ball places and Mei Nan is one which locals go to. I have to come back to Mei Nan for more chicken rice and their popular steamed baos.