Ayam Penyet

"It's very spicy," Bro warned me.

Hah, no prob, I said. I can take it however spicy it is. I love spicy food, anyway.

Bro asked if  I had eaten Ayam Penyet before. Well .... in Miri ... everyone loves Nasi Lalapan. While I am not sure if  it is the same thing, I am about to review Ayam Penyet, based on my experience with Nasi Lalapan.

Well, according to the menu, this is an East Javanese cuisine. The chicken is supposed to be richly marinated and stewed with various spices and herbs, flattened and then deep-fried. I suppose the chicken is flattened so that it cooks faster, to ensure that it's crispy outside and still juicy inside. According to the menu too, it is served with a quarter of deep-fried tofu, tempe, kangkong, cabbage, shrimp paste or sambal, and crunchy fried fritter topping.

We were there quite late .... and wanted the meal for supper. Bro and I I ordered Ayam Penyet, while sil ordered the Prawn penyet. Lol. Sounds funny indeed.

Our meals ... 

We did not wait for long .... and then the platter was set before me. Hmn .... compared to my usual Nasi Lalapan fare, the plate was smaller .... and the contents looked more dismal. 

Well, first up, I did not think the chicken was smashed at all. And I really did not taste any special concoction of marinade on the meat. And I got the "white meat" quarter ... which I did not like. I did not know that I had to make a special request to have the thigh. I found the meat to be very dry. 

The deep-fried beancurd and tempe were quite pathetic in size, the cabbage was raw, and there was no kangkong. The shrimp paste or sambal was very spicy indeed, and just a bit pungent. It was not like the Nasi Lalapan sambal which I was accustomed to - the very spicy and appetising sambal with the prominent taste of the pungent belacan, the sweet, fruity and tangy tomatoes, and the twist of lime in there. This Ayam Penyet sambal did not titillate my tastebuds, but instead they set fire to my stomach. Lol. It was indeed very, very spicy. It numbed my tongue .... and I could feel the fiery effects in my tummy till the next morning! 

My conclusion to the meal .... hmn .... I'd better stick to Nasi Lalapan. 

To my fellow readers, these are my posts on Nasi Lalapan :

1) Nasi Lalapan 1

2) Rices @ Shukie

3) Nasi Lalapan 2

4) Lalapan still tastes so good

Well, I'm probably being prejudiced. So .... well .... why not you try Ayam Penyet and see for yourself. ;P