The chickens on the rotisserie at Mami Nora's look like they are holding on for dear life, their little wings and legs wrapped around the long metal rod on which they rotate like someone clinging to a tightrope. It is a slow turn above a bed of coals made from pure wood charcoal.

Ranbir Bakhshi, who opened Mami Nora's in December, said he believes his rotisserie is the only one of its kind in North Carolina. It is the size of a large closet, and Bakhshi, 24, imported it himself directly from Peru.

Other rotisserie ovens, he said, use at least some gas to fuel the flames, but authentic Peruvian rotisserie chicken is made with pure charcoal -- and Bakhshi was determined to do it that way.

After its successful opening late last year, the restaurant caught fire just two weeks later and reopened only a few weeks ago.

"It was pretty bad," Bakhshi said of the fire, which started around midnight and was caused by an electrical short. "Everything was black. ... a lot of smoke damage. Some of the equipment was ruined but luckily the rotisserie wasn't affected at all."

Since its reopening, the small but bright eatery at 302 Davidson Ave., near the old Kmart Plaza, has drawn a diverse customer base. Patrons can order a quarter, half or whole chicken, and all meals come with two sides, dinner rolls and dipping sauces.

The menu, in both Spanish and English, is kept simple; Bakhshi values quality over quantity and has included familiar items like French fries and coleslaw along with more exotic options such as fried plantains and yucca fries. The chicken soup is made with rice and cilantro, and the desserts include traditional flan but also rice pudding.

And of course there is the chicken. Reluctant to divulge too much about the recipe, Bakhshi only admits that cumin is one of the ingredients in the marinade. The chickens soak up their seasoning for at least 24 hours before heading to the oven, and come out of the rotisserie a dark, golden brown with a thin, crisp skin.

One day recently, Jamey Cook celebrated passing her competence exams for her master's degree in Spanish at UNC-Chapel Hill by going to Mami Nora's for South American fare. She said it brought back memories of the food her host-mother prepared for her when she studied abroad in Venezuela.

"We're pleased, it was worth the drive," said Nedra Cook, who made the trip with her daughter from Carrboro.

The Deans family drove from North Raleigh to experience the second Peruvian restaurant to open in the Triangle, the first being in Cary. Mirian Deans, a native of Peru, read about Mami Nora's in a Spanish-language newspaper and has come with her family twice to get a taste of home. Though it's not exactly like it is in the Amazon, where a different kind of wood charcoal is used, it's pretty close, she said.

Bakhshi grew up in Maryland, the son of a Salvadoran mother and an Indian father. The Peruvian connection is his stepfather, and Bakhshi was first exposed to the rotisserie chicken sold on the streets of Peru when he visited family growing up. After graduating from high school, he spent three years in the Army before going to culinary school.

Mami Nora herself is very proud of her son. Nora Palma, Bakhshi's mother, has a business next door to the restaurant where she helps Spanish-speaking clients file taxes and take care of other governmental matters.

She's not surprised that at 24 he's already running his own restaurant. "He always liked to cook," she said, remembering how he would call her at work when he was in middle school to ask what he could get started for dinner. She hopes to add a Salvadoran bakery to the business -- as soon as tax season is over, she's planning to get back in the kitchen to test recipes with a baker.

Bakhshi plans to keep tweaking the menu. He removed mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes when they weren't selling, and will toy with seasonal items in the future.

One thing to count on is the chicken. The rotisserie, which can hold up to 30 chickens at once, will be humming away in the back of the restaurant, occasionally spitting embers out its top as it fills the room with a smell you can almost taste.