Chicken rice rite

Published on September 7, 2007

At Kuan Ah, Hainanese chicken rice is prepared according to a traditional recipe, with the chicken cooked over a charcoal flame and aromatic rice.

For many Chinese families in Bangkok, Kuan Ah restaurant is a place where they go for delicious Hainanese chicken rice. Around for more than 60 years, the restaurant is known for that dish, and recently it moved to a new place on Rama III Road, after 44 years at the corner of Sathorn Road.

"Chicken has always been our No 1 plate throughout those years," says Nangnoi Hantrakanpong, daughter-in-law of Kuan Ah's founder, Sew Eng Dan, who is still active at the age of 84.

The first Kuan Ah restaurant was in Bangrak, where Hainanese native Sew Eng Dan grilled chickens Chinese style and served them with sweet dipping sauce along with her hometown's specialities including hotpot. Later, she began cooking steamed chicken for some customers during the Chinese New Year holiday. The succulent taste of her chicken hooked her fans and they asked her to continue making them year-round. Gradually, Sew Eng Dan put the chicken dish on the main menu and the customers kept coming back for more.

"Hainanese chicken rice needs to be made traditionally to preserve the tastes," explains Nangnoi who joined the restaurant in late 1980s after living in the US for some years. "Even though we are now on the third head chef, we never change our recipe, to make sure that all dishes here taste exactly the same."

Traditional Hainanese chicken at Kuan Ah begins with selecting plump mature chickens from the restaurant's farm in Nakhon Pathom Province. Each chicken must be six months old with a weight of about 3 kilograms. Then, the chicken is slowly cooked in simmering soup. This chicken soup is not thrown away, for it will be used in many other dishes later.

"We only use charcoal stoves for both the rice and the chicken," says Nangnoi. "Our rice is scrumptious and aromatic because we have the wonderful soup from the chicken. We only use jasmine rice and flavour it with typical ingredients such as ginger, garlic and a bit of pandanus leaves."

If you come here, order a plate of steamed chicken (Bt250 for half and Bt500 whole) and bowls of kao man rice. Kuan Ah's dipping sauce is flavoured with preserved beans and the chicken soup. For more spiciness, just add the provided minced fresh garlic, ginger and chilies to taste.

But chicken is not the only thing you can enjoy at Kuan Ah. Their pad chap chai (fried mixed vegetable with seafood and clear noodle, Bt130-Bt200) is simply fantastic. The dish looks simple but many fans will tell you that Kuan Ah's is the best.

"The secret is in our chef's special sauce and the way to stir-fry the dish," reveals Nangnoi. "The dish is very simple looking and many people have tried cooking it themselves. But you have to come to try ours, too."

If you like the taste of preserved beans (tao hoo yee), Kuan Ah's Hainanese-style hotpot is available with selections of pork, chicken, shrimp, beef and seafood (Bt200-Bt300). The marinated meats and fresh vegetables and clear noodle will be served along with a boiling pot on a charcoal stove. You can cook the dish yourself, or if you are too busy nibbling the chicken, you can ask the restaurant to cook and divide the soup for you.

Nangnoi's arrival at the restaurant means some new dishes have been added, including stir-fried to-miew (green pea sprouts), yam takrai (spicy salad of young lemongrass with seafood), fried pork sai tan (pork innard) and fried soft-shelled crabs.

A highly recommended finisher is the stir-fried noodle with crab (Bt130-Bt190) or the typical goi see mee (crispy noodle with chicken gravy) Bt100-Bt160 - that is if you still have some space left. Kuan Ah's dishes are large and it is better to go with some friends and family. For chicken during Chinese holidays, make your sure to make reservations at least one week in advance.

Kuan Ah

884/9 Rama III Road

Next to SV City Complex

Bangpongpang, Yannawa

Parking available

Daily, 10am to 9pm

(02) 682 7747-8

Sirin P Wongpanit  

The writer can be contacted at www.ohsirin.blogspot.com.