45-minute await well-known conventional claypot rice with over 40 years historical past

I’m somebody who’s an avid dabao-er — more often than not, I’d quite have my hawker dishes to go in order that I can get pleasure from them from the consolation of my own residence. Nevertheless, one of many dishes I can by no means takeaway is claypot rice. These scrumptious bowls are served piping sizzling inside claypots that they’re cooked in, making the dining-in expertise one that you simply can not forgo. I made a decision to take a look at one in every of Singapore’s most well-known claypot rice stalls, Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice.

Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice, positioned inside Chinatown Complicated Meals Centre, was a battle for me to seek out, because it was actually tucked away in the back of the massive hawker centre. After I lastly discovered it, I used to be shocked to seek out that there was no queue, regardless of what I’d beforehand heard in regards to the stall — I later discovered that there was the truth is, a queue, and the patrons had merely already positioned their orders and had been sitting down to attend.

I used to be knowledgeable that there could be a 30 minute ready time, as a result of preparation of the dishes. Every claypot is steamed over a range for five minutes earlier than elements are added to it. The rice is then positioned over an intense charcoal hearth for at least 25 minutes.

After inserting my order, I sat at a close-by desk and waited for my dish to be served.

What I attempted at Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice

I ended up ready for my rice for round 45 minutes — when the dishes had been cooked, the workers ran across the space, serving them to the assorted clients that had been seated close to the stall. I realised simply how well-liked the stall was, as virtually each desk inside a 30m radius of them had been occupied by patrons who had been ready for his or her rice, similar to me.

Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice provides 3 sorts of rice, with their Combined Rice being the preferred possibility. The dish was out there in 5 completely different portion sizes, starting from S$8 to S$20. I received the person serving at S$8, which got here topped with hen, lup cheong (Chinese language sausage), salted fish and greens.

The juicy-looking items of chopped hen caught my eye, and I cherished how tender they had been. The hen was comforting and never too chewy, with a homely style. It was positively my favorite factor of the dish.

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The lup cheong, then again, contributed enormously to the perfume of this dish, giving the claypot rice a lift of sweetness. When paired with the extra savoury parts of the Combined Rice, it was efficient in providing a robust distinction in flavour, making it all of the extra addictive.

As I used to be savouring the dish, I discovered myself biting into extremely salty and mushy items of salted fish. Whereas I loved the flavour enhance supplied by the fish, by itself, it was a little bit overwhelming and crammed my mouth with the style of salt. Nevertheless, mixing it into the remainder of the rice was a delight, because the saltiness balanced out the extra impartial style of the rice.

Except for my bowl of claypot rice, I used to be additionally given a pot of darkish sauce so as to add to my rice — I used to be completely happy about this, given how the rice, when served, wasn’t flavourful or saucy sufficient for my liking. I ended up pouring in a liberal quantity of darkish sauce (maybe I overdid it a little bit, so watch out of that if you’re pouring), which immediately lifted the dish, giving it a richer and extra savoury style.

Remaining ideas

I actually wasn’t all that blown away by Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice’s Combined Rice. I believed that the ratio of rice to toppings had been a little bit off, with there being a bit an excessive amount of rice. Plus, the dish as a complete wasn’t as aromatic or fragrant as I had hoped.

Regardless of that, I cherished how comforting the Combined Rice was, with the assorted parts coming collectively to create a harmonious mix of flavours. The S$8 price ticket is a little bit steep compared to different hawker dishes, however the portion is fairly sizeable, and I couldn’t end the entire thing, although it was a person portion.

Should you’re in a rush, Lian He Ben Ji Claypot Rice might be not an incredible spot to get a late lunch or dinner. Nevertheless, when you have the time to attend, positively give them a attempt for a comforting meal.

Anticipated injury: S$8 – S$13 per pax

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