East Coast Grill · Coconut-Basted Chicken
Ayam Percik
Photo: Syafls / Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Its name comes from the Malay word for 'splatter' — the sound and motion of repeatedly basting the chicken with sauce while it grills over open coals.
Turmeric-marinated chicken is grilled over charcoal while repeatedly basted with a thick coconut-milk and dried-chilli sauce until the skin turns glossy, smoky, and deep red-gold. Night markets in Kelantan and Terengganu grill it fresh over open coals, usually alongside nasi kerabu.
Why it's made this way: It's a specialty of Kelantan and Terengganu specifically, with each state defending its own version — Kelantan's paler and sweeter, Terengganu's hotter and darker — a small rivalry that marks it as a true east coast dish rather than a national one.
More from Malaysia
Part of World of Street Food — 3248 dishes from 118 countries.
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