The Kingly Feast

It was August 1973 and I was a gauche kampung girl of 19 when I first stepped foot in Kuala Lumpur to begin my career as a newspaper reporter. Ampang Park was then an upmarket shopping hub in KL, as was erstwhile Jaya Supermarket in PJ.

It was in a restaurant called 'Palong Dulang', located on the first floor of Ampang Park, that I had my first taste of Chicken a la King with Buttered Rice, a dish I took a liking to instantaneously.

For a small-town girl whose palate had experienced nothing beyond the standard fare of budu, sambal belacan, ikan singgang et al, chicken a la king with buttered rice was a kingly feast indeed.

'Palong Dulang' is but a distant memory, and I have since eaten chicken a la king with buttered rice everywhere in and out of the country, but nothing beats the one served in 'Palong Dulang' long ago.

A couple of days back I had a sudden urge to try cooking this simple dish (something I had never done before). A mad scramble on Google followed, searching for a suitable recipe.

Here's the result. I have improvised a bit, here and there. You can substitute mushroom soup with cream of chicken soup, or fresh milk, if you so desire. Any which way, kids will love this one because it is neither hot nor spicy.

Chicken a la King with Buttered Rice

Ingredients for Chicken a la King

- 1 medium-sized onion, finely chopped
- 1 green pepper & 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1 can of button mushrooms
- 1 can cream of mushroom soup
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 200 ml chicken stock
- 1/2 chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces
- Salt & pepper to taste

Directions:
Boil chicken pieces with 3 cups water. When cooked, remove the meat and keep aside the chicken stock. Dilute cream of mushroom soup with 3/4 can water and set aside. Heat up butter. Sautee onion, peppers and button mushrooms till soft. Add flour, stir for a minute. Add diluted mushroom soup and 200 ml chicken stock. Bring to boil. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens. Add chicken pieces and sprinkle salt and pepper to taste.

Ingredients for Buttered Rice

- 4 cups rice, washed and drained
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 2 medium-sized onions, finely chopped
- 1 pandan leaf
- 2 chicken cubes

Directions
Melt butter in a pan and sautee onion till soft. Add rice and sufficient water. Add also pandan leaf, chicken cubes and raisins. Mix well. Transfer mixture to rice cooker and let it cook. Spread some crispy fried onions on the rice upon serving.