JAKARTA -- A cheap, super-spicy dish of pounded fried chicken with chili sauce called ayam geprek has become all the rage in Indonesia. Restaurants that specialize in it have sprung up over the past year, shaking up the fast-food industry and challenging the dominance of Kentucky Fried Chicken.
One such restaurant is Geprek Bensu. An outlet located in a residential area of eastern Jakarta is filled with students and business people at lunchtime on weekdays. The most popular menu item is a set meal consisting of fried chicken topped with chili sauce, rice and sliced cucumber. A cheese topping is also available and the rice can be replaced with fried noodles. There are 10 levels of spiciness to choose from, and all this costs just 16,500 rupiah ($1.20).