If you’ve ever found yourself flipping through a menu, staring at the various types of ayam, wondering if they’re all the same thing in different fonts, same. It’s one of those Southeast Asian mysteries where the names almost sound identical but the pain (and pleasure) level on your tongue wildly varies.
So, here’s a crash course in decoding the holy trinity of Indonesian chicken culture (that I know of).
Ayam Penyet
Let’s begin with ayam penyet, the Javanese OG that started it all. Directly translated, penyet means “smashed”, and that’s exactly what happens.
A deep-fried piece of chicken gets gently squashed with a pestle, then served on a bed of sambal so fiery, it’d make you camp in the toilet for hours.
The chicken is crispy on the outside, juicy on the inside. The sambal? Merciless. But it’s the kind of pain you keep going back for.
Ayam Geprek
Next is geprek, which is a twist of penyet, just more popular and Insta-worthy.
Originating from Yogyakarta, it’s usually made by battering boneless chicken. The taste? Think KFC sambal hijau. The chicken is smashed after frying (to keep the crunch intact), then drenched or mixed with chilli paste.
It’s messier and crunchier than the other two, and sometimes comes with melted cheese or mayonnaise (because why not?).
Ayam Gepuk
Often mistaken for the other two, ayam gepuk is like a mixture of both but more old-school.
The chicken is boiled in spices first, then fried lightly and smashed while it’s still tender. The sambal sits on top rather than being mixed in, so you control how spicy it is. I usually mix it with extra bumbu kacang because I’m weak.
It’s fragrant, balanced, and less crunchy compared to geprek.
You might also stumble across ayam lalapan (fried chicken served with fresh veggies and sambal) or ayam bakar (grilled chicken). All are cousins in the ever-growing Indonesian fried chicken family.
So the next time you’re trying to decode the different fried chicken, here’s a summarised cheat sheet:
- Penyet is the raw, spicy, traditional Javanese flavour.
- Geprek is the crunchy, bold, spicy flavour.
- Gepuk is the customisable, fragrant, tender flavour.