An old signboard that reads “New Heong Kee Restaurant” hangs above the gates which open up to a path leading to a shed full of charcoal ashes.

This is where Beggar’s Chicken, the restaurant’s speciality, has been cooked the traditional Chinese way using hot clay and charcoal for 44 years.

In the kitchen, Phyllis Ng, who took over the business from her father, is hard at work preparing a whole chicken. The 42-year-old usually prepares a batch of chicken twice a day, once at 6am and again at 11am depending on the number of orders the restaurant has received.

On this day, FMT was able to watch Phyllis stuff a free-range or kampung chicken, with Chinese herbs like red dates, wolfberries, dang shen, and dang gui among others.

Once done, the whole chicken was marinated in a mixture of dark soya sauce and sesame oil. It was a painstaking task but one that Phyllis tackled with gusto.

Then came the intricate wrapping process. The chicken was first wrapped with two layers of butter paper, then two layers of brown paper, after which a final sheet of heat-resistant plastic was used.

Phyllis explained that this special plastic sheet, imported from Japan, is capable of withstanding temperatures of over 1,000°C.

Next, the chicken was tied-up tight with raffia string to ensure all the layers of paper and plastic would stay in place during the long cooking process.

“We cannot use leaves to wrap the chicken because the sauce will leak while it’s cooking,” Phyllis explained, as she carried the bird over to the open shed where her father, Ng Beng Kiat, encased the wrapped chicken with fine clay from a dry clay machine.

Watching Beng Kiat at work was a treat in itself.

Tackling the clay with the dexterity of a sculptor, he gently deposited his ‘masterpiece’ into a 20cm depression in the hot charcoal, quickly shovelling heaps of ash over the clay parcel, as he expertly dodged the flying red-hot embers.

He said the chicken would now be left to slow-cook for the next six hours. Time ticked by and after what seemed like an eternity, a strong, smoky aroma filled the air. The chicken was cooked.

Dusting off ash, Beng Kiat carefully dug out the piping hot parcel from within the hot charcoal and placed it in a wheelbarrow, transporting it immediately to the kitchen for the great reveal.

There are two ways to crack open the clay – you can either use a hammer or go at it Jackie Chan-style using your bare hands, Phyllis explained, laughing.

Showing great bravado, Beng Kiat flexed his muscles then leaned forward to crack open the clay-covered chicken to the delight of a group of customers, who with handphones perched overhead, recorded the entire process.

The heady aroma of soy sauce and herbs escaping from the clay casing, was intoxicating. The customers, who came in a bus, were lured to their tables to feast on the long-awaited Beggar’s Chicken.

According to Phyllis, legend has it that beggars in ancient China would catch chickens, dig a hole in the ground and start a fire using chopped wood because they did not have a stove.

However, some would cover the whole chicken – with its feathers on – in mud before placing it in the fire. Once done, they would crack open the hardened mud along with the bird’s feathers and consume the chicken.

“Many people feel that cooking Beggar’s Chicken the traditional Chinese way is considered dirty because of the ashes, but it isn’t,” Phyllis said, as the ashes were not able to penetrate the multiple layers of paper, plastic and clay wrapped around the chicken.

She also said that there was a huge difference in taste and aroma when chicken was cooked in charcoal compared to when it was cooked on the stove.

“When I stuff the herbs in the chicken and cover it in clay, it preserves the essence in the Beggar’s Chicken. When it’s steamed, vapour is released and the droplets are absorbed back into the chicken. Hence, it tastes lighter.”

Phyllis said her youngest brother, who was 31, was next in line to continue the family business and was learning all the secrets of the trade.

“I wish we would have more people dine-in at my restaurant but safety is a priority. We prefer more takeaways and deliveries for this Chinese New Year,” she added.

New Heong Kee Restaurant
446, Batu 7 ½
Jalan Ulu Klang
68000 Ampang Jaya
Selangor

Business hours: 12pm-8pm daily

Contact: 016-3932632

Orders: Book one day in advance