Mak Cik Farisha is famous for her boiling hot tea and crispy roti canai, but her plate-melting sambal is what attracts most people to come and try.

Many have found themselves rinsing out their mouths and even passing out after a taste of Mak Cik Farisha’s sambal.

Legend has it that only a true “King or Queen of Spice” could ultimately consume her specialty sambal and live to tell the tale.

Mak Cik Farisha opens her stall right outside her house, which is located in a pretty neighborhood with pink Bunga Kertas growing on the walls.

It is a lovely place to have breakfast, especially soft-boiled eggs and creamy Milo.

“I want to have some sambal,” says Ethan, as he pulled out a chair to sit down with his friends.

“What kind of sambal man? Sotong? Udang?” Rakesh asks.

“What about…Sambal Pasti Mampus?” Ethan replied as he scanned the menu.

Rakesh spits out his tea.

Several spoons dropped to clank loudly on their metal plates.

“You want to eat Sambal Pasti Mampus?” Amirul asked, in wide-eyed wonder.

“Oh no man,” quipped Rakesh, “You’re going to die.”

“They say someone has actually passed away trying to eat that sambal!”, Mirul chimed in.

“Passed out Mirul, not pass away kot..but still, just don’t eat that,” Rakesh cautioned.

Ethan studied his friends with a frozen expression for half a second then suddenly bursts out laughing.

“Oh, c’mon you guys!” he said, pretending to wipe away tears as he snickered.

“It’s true! You can die from eating that!” Mirul said.

Ethan decided not to heed his friend and proceeded to order the sambal anyway.

“Guess, I’m today’s human sacrifice,” he said with a grin.

When the plate of sambal arrives, it is bubbling and steaming like red, hot dragon scales.

“Now, who dares to try some?” challenged Ethan.

Amirul and Rakesh recoiled.

The pungent chili in the air pierced their nose and caused their eyes to water as if it were poisonous gas.

Ethan dipped a fork of his roti into the devilish sambal, smirking at his friends before taking a bite.

“So…Ethan… how are you feeling?”  Rakesh asked, eyeing his friend worryingly.

“It’s not that bad, actually, why don’t you try some?”

“Oh—no no no!”

“It tastes like Maggi curry.”

“What?!” exclaimed Rakesh. He decided to grab a fork and try for himself.

“What about the stories?”  said Amirul, looking puzzled. Eventually, he also caved into curiousity and braced himself to try a mouth of the renowned sambal of death.

“I guess those were just stories,” said Ethan, as he continued eating nonchalantly.

And thus, that’s the story of Ethan, Rakesh, and Amirul, who enjoyed celebrating their moment as the Kings of Spice, before everything turned to hell.

Cover image by Hazim Abd Halim on Unsplash. The copyright of this piece belongs to the author of this literary work.  

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