Ayam geprek beckons, rain or shine

Ayam Geprek Dapur Saridewi, one of the more popular stalls at the Taman Seri Serdang Ramadan bazaar. — MUHAMAD SHAHRIL ROSLI/The Star

THE downpour at Taman Sri Serdang Ramadan bazaar in Seri Kembangan did not stop people from buying food to break their fast.

Despite the weather, a stall selling ayam geprek still attracted a long queue of customers.

Nizmah Arnia, 59, who owns Ayam Geprek Dapur Saridewi said the business at her stall this Ramadan had been amazing.

“This is my second time setting up stall in a Ramadan bazaar and I am happy that we are doing so well,” she said.

“On a normal day, we usually finish selling our food by 6pm.”

Selling predominantly Indonesian cuisine, their best seller is the ayam geprek, a well-known Indonesian dish consisting of crunchy fried chicken, which is crushed and combined with a hot and spicy sambal.

Nizmah, who hails from Medan, Indonesia, also has a restaurant with the same name nearby which is usually fully booked during the fasting month.

Tengku Zaki, 37, a loyal customer buys ayam geprek everyday as it is his favourite dish.

“The queue when it is raining can be a bit crazy as there can be up to 50 people waiting in line for the ayam geprek.”

“I usually buy the food earlier as I do not want to fuss around waiting in line,” he added.

Located at Jalan 18/35, the Taman Sri Serdang Ramadan bazaar is one of Subang Jaya City Council’s biggest, with 138 traders operating here.

It is also a hit with students of the nearby Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM).

UPM student Shila Sapee, 23, said that despite the heavy rain, they still went to the bazaar due to the variety of food they could choose from.

“There are not many bazaars around here so this is the best that we can get.”

“It is the closest to our campus and the food here is decent in price, too,” she said.

The heavy rain forced some of the vendors to close their stalls but people still showed up with umbrellas to hunt for food.