Food is a topic especially close to both Singaporeans' and Malaysians' hearts, especially when it concerns a beloved favourite such as chicken rice. 

The humble dish, which seems deceptively simple to prepare, comes in many variations — from soy sauce to roast chicken. But have you heard of Ipoh chicken rice, and more importantly, how does it stack up to the familiar version that Singaporeans have come to love?

On Monday (Aug 21), YouTuber Ghib Ojisan decided to answer the question once and for all by posting a video of him trying said dish in Ipoh, Malaysia. 

Hitting up Restoran Tauge Ayam Lou Wong, which is known for its Ipoh chicken rice, he first gives a behind-the-scenes peek at how the chickens were cooked, and then prepped to be served. 

Tucking into his comprehensive order, Ghib ordered up a standard set of rice, steamed and roasted chicken and their specialty beansprouts dish to try. 

He started with the beansprouts, and he was visibly impressed by its distinct appearance and taste: "It looks so different from the other beansprouts… Wow! Oh my gosh. When I first heard beansprouts, it doesn't sound that nice. But I would come back for this."

He added: "The sauce is magical, it's sweet and super, super nice."

Moving on to the rice, Ghib didn't seemed blown away by it, noting that the flavour is "not too strong" but that he "loves the chicken stock" used in cooking it. 

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But one item that he absolutely loved was the accompanying condiment.

The Ipoh chilli sauce is significantly different, packing a sour yet spicer punch: "It's kinda thin compared to Singapore's… It's much more vinegary and has a stronger kick than Singapore's. It hits you in the face."

And then it's on to the main stars of the show - the chicken.

Starting with the steamed chicken, Ghib noted the differences in the type of chicken used and gave his verdict: "It's so nice and so fresh because they got local (kampung) chicken. But I feel the skin is not as tender and melting compared to Tian Tian chicken rice or Yishun chicken rice."

Despite this, he still described the combination of beansprouts, chicken and chilli sauce as "magical".

Moving on to the roasted chicken, Ghib described it as "chewy, moist, flavourful", specifying that he liked it over the steamed version.

He observed: "The chicken has its own sweetness. One thing we noticed is that the sauce is much sweeter than Singapore's typical chicken rice sauce. We feel like Malaysian food is sweeter [than Singapore's]."

He concluded his review in both Japanese and English: "It's difficult to say which one is better. I love the beansprouts and the chilli sauce [too], great combination."

While Ghib was split about which version of chicken rice is better, netizens were eager to share their views.

One commenter noted that the Malaysian chicken rice can boast fresher ingredients, but that the cooking technique used in Singapore chicken rice delivers a much more tender and sweet end product. 

One netizen gave an explanation for the outstanding beansprouts in Ipoh: "Even other states cannot win in terms of bean sprouts because Ipoh's bean sprouts are grown in spring water, lol."

Others took issue with the choice of restaurant Ghib visited, with a netizen writing that he tried the same eatery in Ipoh recently and was told by a local that the place is a "tourist trap".

A person with relatives living in Ipoh seconded his opinion, and another one suggested that they visit Cowan Street Chicken & Beansprout Restaurant instead as that is supposedly the locals' choice.

In the rest of his video, Ghib also tried other famous Ipoh foods, including dim sum, Ipoh white coffee, famous soya beancurd and claypot porridge. 

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jolynn.chia@asiaone.com

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