Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken: Heavenly Soy Sauce Chicken!

Soy Sauce Chicken $14.80ea

So there we were, in front of this oddly named stall that sells Soy Sauce Chicken wondering why in the world it was called Ma Li Ya chicken?  Was the feisty short haired lady behind the chopping board named Maria?  My "A" level Chinese is so rusty that I had real difficulty in making out what the signboard actually said.  Then heaven opened and a beam of light enveloped us.

"Santa Maria!"  The words on the signboard miraculously morphed into something legible:  Ma-Li-Ya-Chu-Nu-Ji... Ma Ri Ya Virgin Chicken.... Maria Virgin Chicken..... ohhhhh......Virgin Mary Chicken!!

My apologies to all Catholics, but it wasn't my idea to name the stall after Mother Mary.  It had been the name of the very popular stall at People's Park Centre which suddenly closed down a decade or so ago. The owner wasn't a Catholic then either, but thought that calling her Soy Sauce Chicken "Virgin Mary Chicken" might be something of a smart branding strategy.  Good news!  The stall has been resurrected and the owner has since embraced the Catholic faith! Talk about self fulfilling prophecies!


Soy Sauce Chicken (Note the fried Soy Beans)

It was OMark who insisted that I must try the Virgin Mary Chicken.  He had just discovered it the weekend before and was telling me that the Ma Li Ya Chicken was even better then Hong Kong Soy Sauce Chicken which I raved about previously which was also at Smith St Food Centre.  Of course, he did not say it was the Virgin Mary Chicken, but simply Ma Li Ya Chicken, which is why it took me awhile before I got interested.  If he had simply said Virgin Mary Chicken from the start, he would have gotten my attention immediately.  See, it is good branding strategy!


Braised Japanese Tofu

Let me cut to the chase.  The first thing when I got my plate of chicken was to pop a spoonful of the sauce into my mouth.  Heaven opened again and this time I was levitating towards the light!  There was something very irresistible, very unique, yet vaguely familiar about the sauce.  The most noticeable difference is the addition of the fried soy beans which is something I used to see years ago as a kid, but which has since gone out of fashion.  I think it was the fried soy beans and sesame oil that gave the sauce an ethereal fragrance that is dangerously close to being hypnotic!

The chicken skin was such a joy to eat.  Having soaked up the sauce, it was just about as good as I can imagine chicken skin can get.  The chicken meat is also cooked to perfection.  The marrow is still pink while the flesh is just cooked all the way through.  That means that the meat is not overcooked and the breast remains juicy and tender!  4.75/5

You must also remember to order some tofu!  Their braised Japanese tofu is silky smooth and just acts as another low cholesterol excuse to enjoy more sauce!  4.25/5

The lady behind the chopping board tells me that she no longer owns the stall but is simply the head chef there.  Her family history stretches all the way to 1926 when her father came to Singapore and later became famous when he opened Nam Thong Pau shop in Chinatown.  The Soy Sauce Chicken recipe was part of her father's legacy.  Since then the family fortune has gone through a roller coaster ride.  Now, she is simply happy to work for the owners of the stall.

Anyone here remembers a Pau shop called Nam Thong in Chinatown?  Apparently, they were also famous for Chinese biscuits!

Conclusion

Fans of Ma Li Ya Chicken can rejoice that their favourite Soy Sauce Chicken stall is now back in business!  The Virgin Mary Chicken is now the new gold standard for Soy Sauce Chicken in my books!


Ma Li Ya Virgin Chicken
Smith Street Food Centre
#02-176
7am to 4pm
Closed Mon
81637726

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