La Porpo – Tantalising Ayam Goreng With House-Made Sambals at Jalan Besar(Recommended by Chef Bjorn Shen)!

I’m always amazed by the endless variations of fried chicken on our tiny island, so I was naturally excited when I caught wind of an irresistible Ayam Goreng (fried chicken) stall in Jalan Besar!

La Porpo, which dishes out “one of the best fried chickens in town”(proclaimed by Masterchef Singapore Judge Chef Bjorn Shen), is located in a coffee shop just opposite Sim Lim Tower.

Opened two and a half years ago by 3rd generation hawker-couple Haswandi and Nur Hafizah, the stall serves freshly fried Ayam Goreng. When you first step in, you will be greeted by pleasing sky blue walls, wooden tables, and soothing latin music which might make you feel right at home.

So what’s La Porpo, exactly? Cheery Haswandi shared that since he was a big fan of movie legend P Ramlee, he decided to name his stall after one of his star catchphrases in the 1972 movie Laksamana Do Re Mi. Haswandi elaborated that P Ramlee was on a flying carpet in the movie when he said ‘La Porpo’, and the phrase had stuck with Haswandi since. Even now, he uses the phrase in conversations with friends and family.

Currently, the menu only has a few items, all of which feature their popular Ayam Goreng.

I was surprised to find out that there wasn’t a grand secret recipe behind the winning golden poultry. Haswandi enthusiastically said that their fried chicken recipe is a simple one. Their batter is a mix of salt, pepper, turmeric powder, egg, cornstarch, and water. Haswandi further shared that he and his wife, Nur Hafizah, came from a line of hawkers, which started from both of their grandparents. Their fried chicken recipe draws inspiration from recipes handed down in both families.

Nur Hafizah said that they sell about 70-80 fried chickens a day, which she rotates between two woks to fry. “It’s to give them rest; they work hard you know,” Nur Hafizah joked.

The stall has three different types of house-made chilli, which are paired with different dishes. For instance, the ayam penyet comes with a generous side of sambal made from red chilli padi. The ayam geprek is slathered with a sambal that comprises a mix of red and green chilli. Last but not least, the stall has a unique sambal loca (translates to ‘crazy’ in Spanish) which is made with green chillis and a bit of anchovy. All of the sambals also consist of secret ingredients.

After a 30 minute wait, I finally got to tuck into the glorious plates before me. Many may not have heard of Ayam Geprek ($6 – $10), the lesser-known sister of ayam penyet. Geprek is Javanese for smashed.

The huge fried chicken was tender and moist on the inside, and could be easily torn apart. The chicken sat on a fluffy bed of pandan rice. Haswandi explained that coloured rice adds fun and vibrancy to the dishes. The fragrant pandan rice went well with the fiery red sambal, which immediately set my tongue on fire. Even though I was perspiring from the heat of the sambal, it was too addictive, and I just couldn’t stop myself from reaching for it.

The sambal loca didn’t quite possess the same intensity as the red sambal, but it would definitely appeal to those who aren’t good with spice.

Next, I tried the Ayam Penyet ($6 – $10) which is paired with sambal and blue pea rice. Surprisingly, the chicken had more meat than the one in the Ayam Geprek. Although the blue pea rice didn’t carry much of a flavour, the fluffy grains paired well with the sambal, which was sweeter than the other two chillis.

After a good sweat sesh from the sambals, I washed it all down with the bowls of clear soup that accompanied every dish. The soup consisted of aromatic spices, a strong chicken flavour, and floating fried shallots.

As I dabbed my last few pieces of tissue on my face, I realised that I came for the chicken and stayed for the sambal. La Porpo’s delicious ayam goreng, and powerful sambal will keep patrons coming back!

MissTamChiak.com made anonymous visit and paid its own meal at the stall featured here.

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