Lunch to enjoy at Uncle Rani Organic Chicken Farm

A few months ago a friend brought me an organic free-range chicken from a farm in Kuang, 28 km from Kuala Lumpur. I remembered my difficulty in cutting it up, telling her the chicken had strong bones.  I braised the meaty chicken parts with mushrooms and it was so good. Its meat was firm without being tough and was packed with flavour.  The bony parts were simmered in soup.

I had the chance to visit Uncle Rani Organic Chicken Farm last Sunday and had lunch in a zinc-roofed wooden building with tables set up under the covered porch in a kampong setting.

We saw chickens roosting in the shade within a wire enclosure when we arrived mid-day after being taken on a complicated kampung route by Waze.  In front of it is a green pond, almost like lawn. It’s where duckweed grows, tiny green plants that grow so rapidly and close together they carpet the entire surface of the pond. It’s healthy feed for these chickens, in addition to rice kernels and local plants like moringa, vegetables and fishmeal.

The farm was lush with trees and shrubs in a green, serene setting. There was no smell or stink from chickens as systems had been put in place by the owner, Uncle Rani, to make sure the farm stays clean and welcoming.  Also, the enzyme-rich diet of the chicken also means there’s little odour. Chickens are about 5 months old before they are slaughtered, unlike the 30-day broilers we get at our markets with their soft, cottony meat.

We had called up to order our lunch a few days before. This has to be done as the farm has lots of visitors during the weekend.  We were lucky to have a room to ourselves. Chicken Rendang, Roast Chicken, Salted Fried Chicken, Fried Ladies Fingers and Fried Kangkong appeared in quick succession, together with chicken rice and small plates of chilli sauce. The rice was sticky and fragrant, and so good with the roast chicken dipped in that garlicky, zesty chilli sauce. The flesh of the chicken was smooth and sweet, with a little bite, the way I like it.

The chicken rendang was delicious, with its meat infused with the aromas and flavours of the spice paste, herbs and roots and santan it had been slow cooked with. The meat retained its texture, all the better for the bite.

We thought we would stick to chicken, so we had a third dish Salted Fried Chicken which was especially memorable for crispy threads of salted batter heaped on top of the chicken. The chicken was great eaten with fingers and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We could have fish too at Uncle Rani’s, as in assam pedas, and the chicken could be cooked in other styles too like chicken curry and masak lemak cili padi. The food is halal.

We sat for a while chatting and watching a handsome rooster striding across the yard, with its harem of hens. I could imagine city kids being fascinated with the farm, as my friend has taken kindy kids for a visit here, with an obliging Uncle Rani explaining things to them.

Uncle Rani Chicken Farm is at Lot 1280, Lorong Dato Abu Bakar, Kampung Gombak Batu 20, Kuang, Selangor.

It’s open from 11am to 7pm daily except Mondays. It’s best to make a booking at least  a week ahead. Call 016-227 7011 or 016-410 0856.