Chicken Run

A 'flattened chicken' dish from Indonesia, ayam penyet, looks set to fly, four years after landing here

A CHICKEN dish from Indonesia that combines Singapore's love for all things deep-fried with the love for chilli sauce has become a hot favourite within four years of landing here.

The dish is ayam penyet, which is Bahasa Indonesia for 'flattened chicken'. Word of its tastiness has spread so fast that there are now more than 40 hawker stalls and restaurants selling it.

Some are already touting it as a new staple that will take its place alongside nasi lemak.

So what is this dish that is causing such a flap?

Well, consider it Hainanese chicken-rice-meets-KFC.

It is a big slab of chicken thigh deep-fried to a lovely crispiness.

It is then hammered flat with a wooden pestle to loosen the meat from the bone (hence its name).

The tasty meat is placed on a wooden plate alongside boiled or raw vegetables, and spicy sambal and served with hot, fluffy rice.

The dish originates from Surabaya, capital of Indonesia's East Java province, though it has come to Singapore via Batam.

Mr Mohamed Fadzil Mohomad Rashid, 38, opened his first Sri Bistari stall in a coffee shop in Still Road after tasting the dish in Batam in 2002.

'It's unique. There's chicken, sambal and veggies served on a special wooden plate. I had a feeling Singaporeans would love it,' he says.

He was right. At his two stalls in Changi Village Food Centre, customers queue for up to 40 minutes on weekends, he says.

Such demand has prompted him to add another three outlets to his chain over the past six months alone.

Another two will open by the end of this month, he says.

TV host and producer Najip Ali, 40, is a die-hard fan.

'It's all in the sambal. It has to be spicy and a bit sweet to go well with the chicken and the rice,' he says.

While Sri Bistari's dish is tweaked slightly to suit local tastebuds - instead of plain rice, it serves flavoured Hainanese style chicken rice - you can find more authentic versions in Lucky Plaza.

Ayam Penyet Ria on Level Four was the first restaurant to specialise in it when it opened in February last year.

Founder Edy Ongkowijaya, 29, bought the franchise rights to the Batam brand to cater to Indonesians living here.

It has since become very popular with youngsters, both Indonesian and local.

Due to management differences with his two partners, Mr Ongkowijaya has left the restaurant to open another ayam penyet eatery, Resto Surabaya, just two floors below.

But there is no turf war, he says. He is still on talking terms with his former partners, and each restaurant has its own regulars.

Over at Beach Road, Ayam Penyet House is also enjoying good business since it opened six months ago.

'When you have fried chicken, you can't go wrong with youngsters,' says owner Henry Pangestu, 45.

Food vendors say ayam penyet is not just a food fad.

'It will become a staple, like nasi lemak,' says Sri Bistari's Mr Fadzil. He plans to open 20 more outlets within two years.

Resto Surabaya's Mr Ongkowijaya will open his second outlet, Waroeng Penyet, in Marine Parade Central next month.

This chicken dish looks set to fly.


Lifestyle - Taste
Chicken run
Teo Pau Lin, FOOD CORRESPONDENT
581 words
3 December 2006
Straits Times
English
(c) 2006 Singapore Press Holdings Limited