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Hainanese hen rice is a dish that originates within the southern Chinese province of Hainan. It is predicated on the well-known Wenchang hen, one in every of 4 essential dishes courting all the way in which again to the Qin dynasty.
Today, there’s an abundance of hen rice stalls and eating places in Malaysia as a result of unwavering demand.
Wanting a slice of the pie, Min Jun Won (MJ), the founding father of Chicken by Won, goals to reinforce the genuine Hainanese dish with an added contact through the use of his grandmother’s recipe.
Carrying on the household legacy
From an early age, MJ adored his grandmother’s cooking. He made the kitchen his playground, the place he uncovered his predecessor’s recipes.
“My grandmother was an incredible chef and I was her little assistant,” MJ stated. “I loved watching her cook and observing her actions, as she has always cooked the most delicious and authentic Chinese food for our family.”
Likewise, MJ was impressed by his elder brother, James Won, a well known restaurateur and artisan chef who based effective eating eating places together with ShinLabo, and Enfin by James Won.
When highschool was over, MJ pursued his research in economics and finance within the UK. But his ardour for cooking didn’t falter.
“I often cooked for friends who were missing Malaysian food,” he stated. “So much so that we had a pop-up store in the Manchester Malaysian Games (a Malaysian event). We called it Jun’s Chicken.”
Sales kicked in for the part-timer. He was promoting a number of hundred containers per day, and it was at that time that he realised his true ardour was serving folks good hen rice.
A couple of years later, he returned to Malaysia throughout the pandemic and accomplished his on-line exams. During unprecedented instances, job prospects had been dim and plenty of companies had been on maintain.
“Although I got a job offer, I decided to pursue my passion with chicken rice,” MJ envisioned. “With my grandma’s recipe, I refined it through trial and error, and that’s how Chicken by Won was reborn.”
But who would have guessed {that a} small enterprise may nonetheless keep a presence in Malaysia’s saturated hen rice market?
Think hen? Think Won.
Being a digital native, MJ knew that one of the best ways to compete with hen rice stalls and eating places that aren’t as tech-savvy was to provide you with artistic on-line advertising and marketing concepts.
“It is critical for us to stand out so that people know we’re very serious about [selling] chicken rice,” he revealed. “We know the added value of having a great social media presence.”
As his enterprise gained extra traction, he knew he wanted an additional pair of arms in advertising and marketing his hen rice. The first couple of people that got here to thoughts had been his shut associates TJ and Charles, who each work at See Saw Creatives, a artistic company primarily based within the UK.
Knowing the ability of social media, he believes that by developing with artistic content material, Chicken by Won may purchase related model recognition amongst foodies within the Klang Valley. This goal market consists of these consistently occurring meals hunts looking out for hidden gems.
The entrepreneur’s on-line efforts enabled him to achieve a wider viewers, together with these from different states who got here to Klang Valley to buy his meals. It has even made its strategy to the UK on just a few events, the place a buyer inquired about the opportunity of Chicken by Won returning to the nation.
When folks genuinely care, phrase of mouth advertising and marketing turns into pure. “It’s also very important and a key sales converter. People who love our food spread the word, post and tag us on Facebook and Instagram,” he affirmed.
From the UK to Malaysia
In an interview with Vulcan Post, we requested MJ concerning the variations he seen whereas serving in two totally different nations. “Chicken rice is very rare to find in the UK, especially authentic ones,” he responded. “[Because] Malaysian students crave home food, it sells really well in the UK.”
In Manchester, a field of his hen rice price £5. MJ believes it was affordable compared to the common price of meals offered there, which was roughly £10.
The founder defined, “It wasn’t a one-to-one conversion when we decided our pricing. We had to take into consideration all the fresh ingredients we used and the cost of chicken, balancing that with what is reasonable for the food quality you’re getting.”
Locally, a field of his hen rice is accessible for RM14.90, which some could argue is somewhat expensive compared to different gamers available in the market.
“However, it’s tough nowadays as well due to the steep increase in the cost of chicken and more raw ingredients,” the entrepreneur expressed. As the worldwide financial system enters a downturn, we’ll most probably see a rise in virtually all the pieces as a result of inflation.
Despite that, MJ is agency on by no means compromising the standard of his dishes. According to him, the hen rice constructed from his grandmother’s recipe has a really distinct and recognisable flavour when in comparison with different native hen rice.
“At Chicken by Won, I believe that every element of the chicken rice dish is important and plays a huge role, which is why not just the chicken itself has to be good. The rice, ginger sauce, chilli sauce, soya sauce, and garnish have to be tip-top to compliment the chicken rice very well,” the chef clarified.
It is probably going that MJ’s prospects can respect the flavours of his hen rice, which might make the value level of his merchandise a justifiable one. This could also be particularly so when put up in opposition to hen rice costs from hawkers usually offered between RM6-RM10.
“In Malaysia, although there are many chicken rice options, we still stand out due to the taste of our chicken rice. No matter the country, we aim to provide the best taste and quality to our customers with the best value as much as we can,” MJ informed Vulcan Post.
As orders continued to pour in, having a bodily outlet turned a necessity. Chicken by Won is at present within the technique of opening its first walk-in location of their present cloud kitchen within the centre of Mutiara Damansara.
“Chicken rice will still be the star of our menu,” the founder assured. “There will [also] be a few limited-edition menu additions or so as we expand, plus collaborations on complimentary beverages and desserts.”
- Learn extra about Chicken by Won right here.
- Read extra F&B associated articles right here.
Featured Image Credit: Chicken by Won
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