Ingredient appreciation — what makes Chicken Rice special

What sets Chicken Rice apart is the handling of sambal belacan paste. In lesser versions this is treated as a background note. Here it's central and the richly coconut-sweet result shows it. I've started buying it to cook with at home after this experience.

Singapore's hawker culture was inscribed as UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2020. The a hawker centre atmosphere was right for this kind of food. I had teh tarik pulled tea as recommended and it matched well. If you want to understand what makes this cuisine distinctive, Chicken Rice is the place to start.