Qi Wei Ji Bao 奇味鸡煲 – The Original Chicken Hotpot in Singapore

After learning how to make the dish from a shifu in Chongqing, China, Jenny, the owner of Qi Wei Ji Bao, brought the dish over to Singapore. She then opened Qi Wei Ji Bao in Kovan in June, 2009.

Due to the different taste preferences of the locals, Jenny modified the recipe to suit the local palate. A typical chicken hotspot consists of chicken, green capsicums, onions, spring onion, chinese parsley, garlic, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, salt, oil, and chicken essence.

Qi Wei Ji Bao only uses broiler chickens in their hotpot. To ensure quality, William, co-owner and Jenny’s husband, told their long-time supplier the specific kind of chickens they are looking for. All of their chickens must be of a certain weight and size. Additionally, the meat has to be tender.

We ordered the Half Chicken Hotpot ($27.90). There’s also a full chicken ($38.90) version and two drumsticks version ($26.90) available. You can choose how spicy you want the chicken hotpot — xiao la, zhong la, or da la. We chose xiao la because I am a coward when it comes to spicy food.

Before Jenny brought the hotpot to us, I could already smell it from across the room.

I took a sip of the savoury soy sauce-infused chicken broth. A wave of spiciness hit right after and took residence at the back of my throat. Boy, was I glad we chose xiao la. Have the soup with rice to mitigate the spiciness.

Each piece of chicken was delightfully plump and juicy. Unfortunately, because of the way the chicken was cut, it was rather difficult to get all the meat off of the bones.

If you’re not satisfied with the ingredients in the hotpot, do not fret! You can get extra ingredients from the fridge. Each coloured plate is priced at ($3.90) and each meat plate at ($5.90). While they are rather pricey, each plate gives you an ample amount of your desired ingredients. We chose the recommended tau kee, a plate of xiao bai cai, and a plate of pork strips. If you are impatient, and do not want to wait for your tau kee to soften, you can always ask the cook to fire up your hotpot with the tau kee in the kitchen.

You should definitely try this chicken hotpot if you are looking to experience something new. It is suitable for all ages, so do bring along your friends and families to share it with!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the restaurant featured here.

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