A Ball of A Time? (Chung Wah Chicken Rice Ball @ Melaka)

Melaka is synonymous with heritage, the Baba's & Nyonya's, and of course, food. What types of food you ask? Ever heard of the (in)famous Chicken Rice Balls?! (Nope, NOT Chicken Balls Rice, pls try not to get the wrong idea .... =P)

One of the oldest, yet most popular around .... Chop Chung Wah attracts tourists from all corners

If you're a Malaysian, and have yet to visit Melaka, or heard about Jonker Street, well .... you're probably one of the minorities. Jonker Street (or Jalan Hang Jebat) is THE most popular (read : tourist spot) street in Melaka, housing a good number of colonial buildings, souvenir shops, bakeries and confectioneries, as well as restaurants and coffee shops.

When it comes to good ol' chicken rice balls, 3 names came to mind. Famosa, Hoe Kee and Chung Wah. Each has its own legion of fans, a 3 corner fight of sorts, much akin to Ipoh's dimsum brawl, or Nga Choy Kai (tauge ayam) free-for-all.

Perfectly shaped balls, scoring in terms of aesthetic values, and flavours .... 30cents each

All of the chicken rice balls outlets are opened from morning onwards. Yup, you can have chicken rice balls for breakfast even. And highly recommended as well, if you wanna beat the crowd. Come lunch hour, and brace yourself for the wait over at Chung Wah.

On a side note, on that day we went for breakfast at Chung Wah, we passed by Famosa and Hoe Kee as well, as all 3 are located within walking distance from each other, on Jonker Street. Surprisingly, the batallion of gluttons chose Chung Wah over the other two, in a dominating manner. If only Chung Wah occupies a space larger than the rivals, as after we were done, the crowd swelled to an intimidating number, queuing OUTSIDE of the slightly congested shoplot.

Steamed Chicken with Soy Sauce

On to the food .... simple enough menu. No distractions, no starters or side dishes to dizzy that mind. Eating here = Order fast, Eat fast, Leave fast. Steamed chicken ONLY, so don't act smart and ask for fried or roasted varieties.

The rice is shaped into a lump of ball. Given the structure of the balls (=P), you'd think that the rice would be lumpy, sticky and yucky, so that it can stick together, and not creating a mess, or rather, become a plate of the usual chicken rice. But no, one bite into the ball revealed soft, fluffy, and fragrant rice with a light hint of ginger (thankfully not overwhelming), and perfectly complemented by the accompanying chilli with vinegar sauce. Yup, the chilli sauce goes well not only with the chicken, but with the rice as well. Five balls per portion, but not too worry you diet freak-cum-carbo haters, as I downed one ball in one mouthful (not exactly the size of a tennis ball, rest assured!)

Reasonably-priced .... more or less RM5-8 per person.

As for the steamed chicken, I found it tougher than I'd preferred. Not as smooth as Ipoh's Tauge Ayam's versions though. And without the usual garnishing of chopped spring onions, the plate of chicken looked rather .... normal.

The shop at the junction of Jonker Street and Jalan Tun Tan Cheng Lock

Overall, this was WAY better than the chicken rice balls I had many years ago. At some place in a mall if I recall correctly. Recommended, for the authenticity and the rice balls, but not really something you can stomach day in and day out, given the limited menu. :)

Location : KEDAI KOPI CHUNG WAH @ 18, Jalan Hang Jebat, 75200 Melaka.

Got MAP !!! It's at the junction after the bridge connecting The Stadhuys (red buildings) to Jonker Street. The shop is opposite OCBC Bank.