MELAKA, Sept 23 — They say that the best meals are often unplanned.
Certainly this is the case one languid afternoon when we find ourselves in Taman Pertam Jaya, Melaka. Breakfast was hours ago, longer than we care to remember.
Our stomachs already rumbling, we are relieved to find Tian Tian Chicken Rice Shop on the corner of a quiet row of shophouses. Its signboard is basic and unassuming, but looks can be deceiving.
This far from the city centre, specifically the tourist hub that is Jonker Street, one doesn’t expect to find this specialty, particularly in a residential neighbourhood, but there it is, clearly printed on the menu: chicken rice balls.
Melaka has long been synonymous with chicken rice balls, that curious cousin of the more widespread Hainanese chicken rice.
The story goes that practicality birthed the now iconic rice ball — rolled by hand after being cooked in chicken stock, each compact orb kept warm longer and was easier to carry to work.
I have no idea if this is, in fact, true. Honestly it sounds like the history of most rice balls, from Chinese fantuan to Japanese onigiri. (And no, rice balls don’t all have to be perfectly spherical. The idea of compressing them into a convenient form is what counts.)
Inside Tian Tian, there is no air of tourist spectacle. (Here, we thank our lucky stars.)
Instead, it is the sort of kopitiam where families gather at round tables, where uncles in singlets sip kopi O while waiting for their plates, where the chatter is lively but not rushed.
Plastic chairs, ceiling fans humming, the scent of chicken stock and garlic wafting from the kitchen — this is the everyday heartbeat of a neighbourhood, not the performance of a destination eatery.
Which is what makes it wonderful; the mundane and the ordinary, with no expectations.
The chicken, when it arrives, glistens faintly under a light drizzle of soy sauce and sesame oil. Each slice is tender, yielding without resistance, the skin pale yellow and silky smooth.
It is the kind of poaching that speaks of care, of years and years of dedicated practice.
The rice balls are still warm, their fragrance unmistakably that of stock and fat. They hold their shape until we bite into them, releasing warmth and aroma, something both familiar and singular compared to the loose grains of ordinary chicken rice.
This is the taste of my Malaccan childhood, back when chicken rice balls were just another delicious local dish, not merely pretty social media bait.
There are sides too: bean sprouts or what we call taugeh, blanched just enough to retain crunch, dressed with a light soy and crowned with crispy shallots. Aromatic, juicy, cleansing.
The siu yoke that follows is serviceable, the crackling suitably crunchy, the fat melting into the lean. It satisfies but does not steal the spotlight.
It is not meant to. Here, chicken and rice remain the undisputed centrepiece.
Part of Tian Tian’s quiet allure lies in its consistency. The friendly husband-and-wife team running the place — a cartoon illustration of them is emblazoned proudly on the signage — offer what they know best, and they offer it well.
And so, what began as an impromptu lunch is now a timely reminder that some dishes endure not simply because of taste but because of what they represent.
Truth be told, a ball of chicken rice is necessarily more delicious than a plate of loose grains. Part of the appeal — to me, at last, a Malaccan boy ever and always — is the nostalgia, the proverbial walk down memory lane.
Perhaps it is not chicken rice balls that I really hunger for but the taste of the way things were.
Tian Tian Chicken Rice Shop 天天鸡饭店
29, Jalan PJ 1,
Taman Pertam Jaya, Melaka
Open Sun-Fri 6am-3pm, Sat closed
Phone: 012-623 9899
* This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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