Today, I revisited the Food Place food court, located at Pavilion Mall. The food court is located beside the Oriental Kopi Restaurant.
This time, I ordered Yam Rice with Ginger Wine Chicken from the BM Yam Rice stall, which cost RM25.00 per set. BM here stand for Bukit Mertajam.
Yam Rice with Ginger Wine Chicken is a well-known style of comfort food originating from Bukit Mertajam (BM), Penang, Malaysia.
The rice is cooked with diced yams, soy sauce, and often dried shrimp, giving it a savory and fragrant aroma. It is slightly oily and flavorful on its own, making it a perfect pairing with rich side dishes. Ginger Wine Chicken (黄酒鸡 / Hwang Jiu Gai) is prepared with chicken pieces stewed in a broth made from Chinese rice wine (usually yellow wine or glutinous rice wine), old ginger, and sometimes wood ear mushrooms. The broth is warming, slightly sweet, and has a sharp ginger kick balanced by the mellow wine flavour. A bowl comes with braised egg and tofu puffs
The bold, savoury notes of the braised dishes are balanced by a bowl of sour preserved vegetable soup (kiam chai th’ng). The soup, made with mustard greens and preserved vegetables, has a tangy, refreshing taste that cuts through the richness of the braised pork, completing the meal.
Ginger Wine Chicken is a traditional Chinese dish with roots in Hakka and Hokkien households. It is especially popular in confinement food for women after childbirth, as ginger and rice wine are believed to improve blood circulation, dispel "wind" from the body, and provide warmth and strength. The dish later spread beyond its confinement origins and is now enjoyed as a comfort food by the general public.
The pairing of yam rice and ginger wine chicken reflects the fusion of Hokkien food culture in northern Malaysia, balancing earthy rice flavours with nourishing, warming broths.
