Malacca Chicken Rice Balls

Many declare that Malacca is the only place to get true Chicken Rice Balls. The chicken itself is simple enough; stuffed with ginger, garlic and spring onions, tenderly boiled until succulent and juicy.

The rice is the peculiar part. It's shaped into balls instead of being scooped onto a plate or into a bowl. The exact reason for this isn't known for sure - some say it's to retain the heat when being served, others say it was more convenient to eat for labourers on the job. Nowadays, it's felt that the shape serves more of a novelty purpose than any practicality reasons.

These rice balls are soft and full of flavour. The rice kernals are pan seared in a conction of ginger and sesame oil before being cooked in a chicken stock instead of water.

Served with a hot chili paste (as most Malaysian dishes are...), the trio of items create a heavenly dish - a MUST try for any Malacca-bound vacationer.