Chicken rice is one of Asia’s go-to comfort foods, especially for those lazy, stay-in days. While Hainanese chicken rice is the most famous, Malay-style chicken rice that is another equally, well-loved dish among Malaysians.

In terms of presentation and looks, the Malay-style chicken rice is not so different, except that the chicken is marinated with honey and fried till golden and crispy. Flavour-wise, the Malay version is sweeter, less gingery and garlicky compared to the Hainanese version.

To help you understand the differences in flavour, here’s a Malay-style chicken rice recipe that has graced many tables in various top hotels in the country.

Ingredients

1. Chicken-flavoured rice

• 1 onion, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed
• 2 coriander roots
• 6 slices ginger
• 6 pandan leaves, knotted
• 3 cups of Basmati rice, soaked for 30 minutes and washed till water is clear
• 3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 cups chicken stock

2. Chili sambal

• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 6 red chillies
• 10 birds’ eye chilies
• 3 kaffir limes
• 2 tablespoons Sambal Asli ABC
• 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon
• 1 teaspoon of sugar

3. Honey-fried chicken

• 1/2 a chicken, cut to 8 pieces and cleaned
• 5 tablespoons honey
• 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 4 tablespoons sweet soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil

4. Chicken soup

• 1/2 a chicken, cut to 8 pieces and cleaned
• 2.5cm ginger
• 1 onion, cut into half
• 2 cloves garlic
• Salt to taste

5. Sides

• Coriander leaves
• Slices of tomatoes
• Slices of cucumber
• Fried onions
• Fried garlic

Method

1. Soup

• Pour water in a large pot till 3/4 of the pot is filled. Heat on a medium flame.
• Add in the chicken, onions, ginger and garlic.
• Boil the chicken till it is half-cooked. You will need the chicken to be firmed yet juicy and moist. This process will take about 30 minutes.
• Remove the chicken and add salt to taste. Set aside four cups of the soup for the chicken rice.

2. Honey fried chicken

• In the chicken-filled bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and mix well. Set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.
• In a wok, fry the chicken till the skin turns a beautiful shade of honeyed caramel colour. You can air fry it as well at 198°C or 390°F for 15 minutes.

3. Chicken rice

• In a wok, add three tablespoons of garlic oil and add in all the ingredients over a medium flame. Saute till fragrant.
• Add in the rice and mix it well.
• In a rice cooker, pour the four cups of chicken broth and add in the rice as well as the other sauteed ingredients. Add salt and sugar to taste, if needed. Give it a quick stir and let the rice cook.

4. Chili sambal

• Blend all the sambal ingredients together except the Sambal Asli ABC with some hot water. Make sure you don’t pour too much water.
• In a non-stick pan, pour the blended ingredients and saute it over a medium-high flame. Stir until the sambal is slightly dry.
• Add in the Sambal Asli ABC and mix well. Saute until the sambal looks shiny and has an oily sheen at the surface.

This article first appeared in butterkicap.com

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