A rice dish from China and made popular in Malaysia is served as small balls in one of the country's oldest cities, Malacca.

The traditional dish was started by Hainanese immigrants from China who came to Malaya (now Malaysia) in the 19th and 20th century.

Rice cooked in chicken stock is referred to as chicken rice in Malaysia and neighbouring Singapore, where it is readily available.

But in Malacca, the dish is served up as chicken rice balls .

It's served with poached chicken and is mixed usually with garlic, ginger and onions and found only in Malacca, a tourist hot spot.

Restaurant owners who sell the balls at about RM0.40 a piece say Malacca's colonial-era Chinese packed them as such for easier and quicker eating.

Queues for these chicken rice balls, which are popular among locals and tourists, can sometimes stretch onto the streets during weekends.

Malay Muslims make up the majority of Malaysia's approximately 32 million inhabitants but the country is also home to sizeable ethnic Chinese and Indian minorities. – AFP

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