Extract : Ayam percik is an East Coast specialty but Jason Lioh is convinced that the best stall is near his hometown Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.

I never knew what ayam percik was or how delicious it was until my friend and I had a taste of Pak Hassan’s concoction in Hutan Percha, about 12km away from Tampin, Negeri Sembilan.

The “restaurant” turned out to be a wooden house near the police station. It was not hard to find; we just let the aroma of the chicken guide us. It was full house, and we had to wait for a table. To appease my rumbling stomach, we started ordering our food even when there was no available table in sight.

It worked out nicely though, becase the food arrived as soon as we sat down. The streaming hot barbecued chicken was split open and secured firmly onto a bamboo stick with wires. The chicken is barbecued until almost cooked, before being basted with gravy.

It is then barbecued again until fully cooked.Ayam percik is best served hot from the barbecue pit, when it is at its most fragrant. Forks are provided, but there is nothing like devouring the chicken morsels with your fingers. It is a bit messy but much more satisfying. Besides, that is one of the joys of eating in an unpretentious roadside stall.

The specialty there is the buntut percik, or bishop’s nose. I could not stomach the thought of eating bishop’s nose, and opted for plain old chicken breasts. It was delicious and gravy pretty divine - tasty and sweetish, a little like tomato sauce but spicier.

My not-at-all-squeamish friend ordered five sticks of the bishop’s nose.

“You eat that? Yucks!,” I asked my friend, in amazement.

He was unperturbed and asked me not to pass judgement until I had tried the dish.

I hesitated, but decided to be brave and try the stick of bishop’s nose he was thrusting at me.

It was amazingly tender and juicy. It was really so delicious that what passed through the particular organ no longer bothered me. The next minute both of us were fighting for the last piece.

According to Pak Hassan, the bishop’s nose is their best-selling ite,. Some customers call in advance to book the dish because it is usually the first dish to be sold out. He sells almost 200 pieces of chicken a day, but Pak Hassan’s stall is only open on Friday and Sunday. Business starts at about 3PM, and closes by about 6.30PM.

One of my friends tell me that there is an even better ayam percik stall in the East Coast, but this Hutan Percha stall is the best around Tampin.

The above article was written by me, which was published in Ole Brats, Sunday Star on January 27, 2002. I was paid RM120 for the article. Therefore, I would like to share it with you all.

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