The Original Claypot Chicken Rice – Heng Kee @ Kampar, Perak
June 9, 2009 | 23,589 viewsSorry folks, for the lack of updates these past few days. I was down in KL for the weekend, and just got back to Ipoh a moment ago. But departing to Penang in about 12 hours, and will be staying put until the weekend. Time’s really tight, hence I’ll rattle off fewer words than usual. (A blessing in disguise, eh?)
Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice in Kampar – THE Original?Since Kampar’s in the news recently for being ‘crowned’ with the district accolades (previously Daerah Kinta Selatan, now Daerah Kampar), and highly probable to be in the limelight for months and years to come, I’ll post a short review of one of Kampar’s most recognisable food; The claypot chicken rice.
I wasn’t lying, was I? Told ya they’re THE original ….With a history spanning over 50 years, Heng Kee has been dishing out thousands, or probably millions of those delectable claypots of goodness.
Claypot Chicken Rice with Chinese Waxed Sausages & Salted Fish @ RM12Opens from 5pm onwards for dinner and supper only, the stall is located in Wing Lok Yuen Coffee Shop on Jalan Idris in Kampar town. Remember it’s for DINNER only, hence don’t come knocking during lunch hour and lodge complaints!
Mix them up REAL good ……Ordering’s simple enough. Either you opt for a small, medium or big pot, correlating to the number of people (or barbarians) on the table. For choice of ingredients, you can have waxed sausages (lap cheong) or/and salted fish together with your serving of chicken rice in claypot, or you can even have the Heng Kee Special with an additional egg. I saw this option on the signboard hanging above the stall rather late, thus I omitted the egg, unwillingly. Shucks ….
The Best part is at the Bottom; The Crackly Crust.Fluffy grains of rice cooked in claypots fuelled by charcoal-fire, served with liberate amount of dark sauce (combination of soy sauce, dark soy sauce, probably a dash of wine, etc), chopped scallions, and cuts of marinated chicken meat, slices of wax sausages as well as blocks and bits of salted fish for that extra oomph.
Unlike amateur-ish version of claypot chicken rice out there, some with sticky/lumpy, overcooked rice or some with undercooked, tough-as-nails grains, Heng Kee’s claypot chicken rice is really commendable, and worth the visit as the texture of the rice is just perfect. Eaten without chopped bird’s eye chillies, or even an extra dash of soy sauce, the fluffy rice was a joy to be relished on its own, and when complemented with the meats, needless to say, the excitement was heightened by a few notches.
Selling confectioneries from CB (that famous Kampar confectioneries specializing in chicken biscuits), as well as some products from Teluk Intan as well
But the BEST part about Heng Kee’s claypot chicken rice is the layer of hardened, crusted, & burnt rice at the bottom of the pot. Ask any claypot chicken rice lovers out there, and guaranteed most (if not all) would attest to the fact that the layer of crust at the bottom = Heavenly Treasures! Or something. But truth is, that layer of crust can only be achieved with certain level of technique, to avoid an overly-burnt aroma that mars the whole experience.
Wing Lok Yuen – Housing the Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice StallVerdict : Certainly earned its stripes as one of the BEST claypot chicken rice out there, even trumping that other one in Ipoh (K10). Minor gripe : Several more pieces of salted fish would do nicely, and the sauces may be a little underwhelming (read : bland) for some who prefer their rice with more flavours.
Location : Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice @ Wing Lok Yuen Restaurant, 123, Jalan Idris, Kampar, Perak. Opens from 5pm – 1am. Got MAP !!!
Wondering where to stay, in case you’re up for a food hunt in southern Perak, and dodgy guesthouses/motels not your preference? Grand Kampar Hotel opened its door for business about 2 years ago, and the exterior would probably blow your socks off. A figure of speech, of course. Do visit their site @ http://www.grandkamparhotel.com/en/aboutroom.html for promotions, room rates, contact and location.
With that, Motormouth’s out on an excursion again ….. from the south, to the north this time !!!
Your post brings back some of my old memories when I was still small and my uncle will bring us to Heng Kee for claypot chicken rice alternate weekend 🙂
Miss it so much…
[Reply]
i used to have claypot chicken rice in the coffee shop, opposite maybank along jalan pudu… to be more precise, it is directly opposite sek yuen restaurant… the claypot rice here is good…
regards grand kampar hotel, it would appear that we will try out this hotel on our next visit ipoh area… the nice photo you have of the hotel building is spoilt by the single lamp post… they should know were to plant the lamp post…
[Reply]
Wow… I'm suddenly proud of being a Kamparian. 😛 It's been a long time since I visited Heng Kee. Reading your post has just triggered my hidden desire for it. LOL
[Reply]
That pot of goodness filled with goodness that you waxed lyrical on it is certainly the blessing in disguise. Time to shoot off again, I take my hats off to you. Enjoy yourself in Penang.
[Reply]
Stayed in tht hotel before..yup its cheap.
the food sucks tho..ehhe..but within the vicinity there are a lot of makan shops…
[Reply]
Haha, yeah, agree with you, definitely love the burnt crust of rice! So so so nice! The claypot chicken rice reminded me of the Korean bibimbap. Haha!
[Reply]
didn't try this for long time….Kampar relative told me not as nice as those days…
[Reply]
yar, what is it about that gooey, chewy lower layer of rice crust that has my dad raving on and on about it. I dont know how to get into this whole claypot rice business. Just the same way i dont like LAM FAN. I think i just like my lauk separated fm my rice la.. is that weird?! 😛
[Reply]
now i can't wait to see your Penang and KL posts.
[Reply]
wah, Kampar hotel also cost so much. Ok lah, when I go up Ipoh I'll make a stop over. lol.
[Reply]
LSF Reply:
April 21st, 2014 at 7:55 pm
me too
[Reply]
u really travel damn ALOT la..up n dwn n up n dwn..thank god u got claypot rice like this to accompany u for such a gruelling trip (on ur stomach)
[Reply]
allie : then only i realised, that my parents brought us to this stall everytime we went back to Sungkai (my grandpa's house)!
chiabh : hey, not their fault. i was too lazy trying to find the best spot for snapping, hence stopped over, wind down the windows, and one shot be all. hahahah …. Ipoh has a few new hotels as well, cheaper, and more accessible.
iamthewitch : then you should recommend me MORE Kampar food lah! since they're die die promoting Kampar now, it seems.
jencooks : thanks Jen. road trips are fun, had it not been so tiring.
thenomadGourmand : hows the rooms? din bother asking for a tour, hehe, as i doubt they'll accomodate me. that area's hot cz UTAR's there, so many students hence the sprouting of endless cafes.
Sugar Bean : yeah hor .. with the mixing and all, like bibimbap, but CARNIVORES' version.
[Reply]
SimpleGirl : oh, no wonder you tried the chan siew heng's. its on the same road right? ok, will take note.
Cumi & Ciki : eh, actually me no fan of claypot chicken rice also lah. from previous experiences.but this is rather good in my books.
NKOTB : yeah, i hope i can post some before I'm off again after Penang.
Simon Seow : aiya, kam ngam this one more luxurious than the others ma. Ipoh's Tower Regency also looks mighty good eh…
Joe : this month's mad lah, I tell you. south to north then south then up then east.
[Reply]
grrgh….its lunch time now. my stomach is roaring d. U always sample nice nice food, wonder whats your body weight har? got overweight o not? lol
[Reply]
bluesoule : WAY overweight liao. hahahah … almost like a tank. Transformers 3 may need a body double, and I can go for audition.
[Reply]
"…layer of hardened, crusted, & burnt rice at the bottom of the pot…" you have just succintly described my LUST FOOD for the day!
[Reply]
This is my type of claypot rice, smokey and burnt smell. Happy eating all the way…haha
[Reply]
wow, this looks so good and yummy:p
Is it better than the K10 in ipoh?
K10's claypot rice took a nose dive… maybe it's the problem of the rice
[Reply]
I just had claypot chicken rice for lunch just now 🙂 But I don't like the burnt rice at the bottom ler ~~
[Reply]
defintiely a place to stop by to enjoy a pot of claypot rice, wanna join me soon?
[Reply]
defintiely a place to stop by to enjoy a pot of claypot rice, wanna join me soon?
[Reply]
I have not been to kampar for ages! Used to visit that place every school hols when i was kid – stayed with my aunt there. But since they built the highway, i hardly detoured to visit this town. It must hv totally changed by now!
Oh yes, the burnt parts at the bottom of the claypot are the best, tho' not the healthiest – but then, who cares?
[Reply]
Whoa… Kampar has this big hotel?? Cater to those parents who're attending their child's graduation ceremony at TAR ka? 😛
[Reply]
proud to b kamparian
at dinner time, taking the ride along the road, there r more choices to the claypot chicken rice. personally i prefer others, esp the one opposite the former cinema…. n yes, the burnt part is the best…
btw, grand kampar hotel suppose to b 3 star….
[Reply]
Marvin Lee Reply:
December 1st, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Oh yeah, there are many choices and I have the same preference as you, the one opposite ‘Lok Goong’ cinema (Princess Theatre), Fook Kee if not mistaken is the best.
.-= Marvin Lee´s last blog ..Blogging One Year After – The Unseen Statistics =-.
[Reply]
I'm also not a huge fan of claypot chicken rice. But when I eat it, I love the burnt bits. I'll dig and dig and dig until the bottom of the pot is clean! =P
[Reply]
Wonderful memories dating back to 30 years when I first got acquainted with KCCR.
[Reply]
I wanted to go to Kampar the other day but not sure where to go. Now I know one more lovely place to go. Always love finding new places in your blog.
Wilson
[Reply]
Kampar seems to be famous for lots of chicken stuffs; claypot chicken rice, chicken biscuits…haha!
Kampar "Kai Chai Peng"!!
Who doesn't know, right? =P
[Reply]
never a big fan of claypot rice, but the pictures look good lah!
[Reply]
Wei…need to make trip to Ipoh/Kampar with you and Jason ;o)
[Reply]
WHOA! What an impressive hotel in a (from what my archives serve me) quaint town.
Any places of interest around there for me to entice an overnite entourage?
[Reply]
I love this claypot chicken rice too! I am currently student at UTAR,Kampar!
[Reply]
This is not the best claypot chicken rice in Kampar 😉
[Reply]
Anonymous Reply:
April 2nd, 2013 at 11:40 pm
then, which claypot chicken rice u recommend ?
[Reply]
J2Kfm Reply:
May 4th, 2013 at 1:18 pm
I like this Heng Kee at Kampar, and still think that this beats all the ones in Ipoh could ever offer. Really.
Maybe the one in Pasir Pinji market can stand a chance, yet that one have to wait for a good 45 mins or so.
I wish to try the other one in Kampar along the same road but til now, I have not gone back yet.
[Reply]
[…] Char Kuey Teow uncle on a Stool (NEW!!) Kampar – Medan Selera Kampar & the Pork Porridge Kampar – Wing Lok Yuen’s Heng Kee Claypot Chicken Rice Kampar – Kam Ling Restaurant (Curry Chicken Bread) Kampar – Vegas Kitchen @ Taman […]
wait…… you’ve missed out something. if you plan to save money with free parking with fresh air environment, go to KAM TAI HOTEL KAMPAR (just behind Maybank Kampar).
if you are coming from KL, go straight after passing by Tapah until you reach Kampar Clock Tower. Keep straight until you reach Hong Leong bank at your left and Maybank at your right. Before that you will see Kampar Chinese Temple. Once you see Maybank at your right, turn right and go straight and go up the hill. or you are coming from Ipoh, keep going until you see Tesco Kampar at your right. Go straight don’t stop until you see Pei Yuan and Primary School ACS Kampar at your left. Then you’ll see Shell petrol station and after one block turn left and go straight and go up the hill.
tata…… you’ve reached. The price is very affordable starting from RM 22 to RM 40. The environment is cleaned, quiet and spacious (a lot of space). wait wait… not only that. a lot of parking space available (free of charge). Staffs and management are friendly too. Don’t miss this chance. Stay 1 night and you will happy. Go go…..
[Reply]
kam tai now closed down lio, now many budget hotels in kampar around rm60, just near town or tesco
[Reply]
cheapest in kampar, rm2 a bowl of mee or meehoon or whatever , go kampar , just opposte the target supermarket , beneath is the bus station to out station
only one stall selling , next to BP
[Reply]