October Enak! With A Difference!

The October Enak! outing marked a departure from the regular Enak! format on a number of fronts. First, the selected date fell during the weekend - specifically Saturday, the 14^th October, with the meeting time set for early dinner (meet @ 6:00 pm and start dinner at 6:30pm) – to allow more spouses, partners and guests to join in the fun! The venue for the October Enak! was the New Heong Kee Restaurant located on Jalan Ulu Kelang, Ampang. 

Heong Kee means Fragrant Aroma - an apt name indeed for the restaurant’s Signature Beggar’s Chicken dish, which is baked for 8 hours in an enclosed clay parcel, placed on a bed of hot coal in the ground, then covered with heaps of ash to seal the cooking ‘space’.

This 45-year old family-run business uses the traditional method of cooking chicken or duck in hot clay ‘parcels’ and charcoal (sourced from Taiping) to preserve the taste and aroma of the meat.

Our charming hosts Joanne Mahendran and Enak! Team member Santhi Moine spared no effort in making this event a roaring success, from issuing detailed ‘How To Get There’ and parking directions, to preparing leaflets containing historical and background info on the New Heong Kee restaurant – this came in handy for answering the quiz questions later, to selecting a delicious menu comprising 4  different meats which included Beggar’s Chicken & Duck, bean curd, glutinous rice, 2 types of vegetable, soup, noodles, dessert and Chinese tea!

The New Heong Kee restaurant is annexed to an old house, from where you can get a view of the shed where the cooking/baking process takes place.  Whilst waiting for the food to be served, we were briefed on the special cooking preparation and methodology by manageress Phyllis Ng who took over the business from her father.

The chicken is prepared in batches, twice a day, and needs to bake for at least 8 hours. Free-range kampong chicken is stuffed with Chinese herbs and marinated in a mixture of soya sauce and sesame oil for several hours before cooking.

The unusual cooking   process prompted many questions and requests for information, followed by a video/photo-taking session, after which we returned to our respective tables to feast on the delicious food.

As the various dishes were served, everyone was game and seemed happy to try all the unique herbal tastes. Each dish had its own distinctive flavour and charm, and the food was thoroughly enjoyed by all.

Joanne and Santhi then took the opportunity to make speeches, announcements and proceed with the quiz, giving out prizes for the correct answer. Enak! Convenor Rosemary Chin next apprised the group of future MCG plans and upcoming events.
 

We ended the evening with a group photo and happy memories of a tasteful and delicious meal.
 

There were 29 of us at New Heong Kee Restaurant, 446, Batu 7 1/2, Jalan Ulu Klang, 68000 Ampang Jaya, Selangor

Susheela Nadarajah