This is the first of a two-part series on making popiah or spring rolls.
You will need to cook the filling first. For that, you have to fry chopped garlic in oil until it turns golden brown…
…before you add the minced meat…
For halal popiah, you can use chicken or just leave out the meat and use chicken stock granules instead. Of course, it will be A LOT nicer if you add minced prawn or better still, crab meat…but my mum and sis are allergic to crustaceans, so this time around, I had to leave those things out.
Then you can add the chopped long/french beans…
…before adding the sliced tau kua (soya bean cake)…
…and the shredded mangkuang (turnip), or what West Malaysians call sengkuang…
…and the taugeh or bean sprouts…
Add salt (and msg) according to taste…and some may prefer to use oyster sauce instead…or even fish gravy.
Fry until all the ingredients are cooked, and the filling is ready…
At the same time, you have to prepare the condiments which include the pounded fresh chillies with garlic…
…ground peanuts…
…finely-sliced omelette…
…and the “glue” – sweetened corn starch…
You can give it a nice brown colour by caramelising the sugar in a pan before adding water. I didn’t… I just used attap/nipah sugar!
My late aunt would fry onions and garlic slices to add as condiments too…and people in Kuching would swear by those coriander leaves – they insist that without those, popiah is not popiah but to many, they smell of cockroaches… LOL!!!
Anyway, having prepared all that you need, now you are ready to roll…
...STILL CRAZY AFTER ALL THESE YEARS! 