Delicious Popiah (fresh vegetables spring rolls)

The Popiah(fresh vegetables spring rolls) is different from the fried spring rolls. The Popiah that I have been eating for decades is evolving, because the cook gets older and lazier. However, it is still as delicious as ever.

When we were children, the Popiah my mother and grandmothers cooked would have crab meat, belly pork and yellow tau kwa(soya bean cakes).

Over the years, we now have a healthier version, replacing the belly pork with chicken breast meat, fresh crab meat has been omitted because of the hard work, (unless you get the frozen crab meat) and the frying of taukwa simplified!! I now like the flavour of the leeks and have added them into my Popiah.

 For 3 -6 pax 

 Ingredients :

2 kg or 3 large sengkuang (yam bean)

2 carrots

300 gm french beans, thinly sliced

300 gm leeks, thinly sliced

8 pieces small squares of firm tau kwa (soya bean cakes)

1 big piece of chicken breast meat finely, shredded and seasoned with salt, pepper and some light soya sauce

300- 400 gram large prawns, peeled and minced, and seasoned with salt, pepper and some light soya sauce.

Fried Shallots : 20 – 30 shallots thinly sliced, deep fried and stored in an air tight jar  

Coriander (cilantro) leaves, for garnishing and flavoring  

Lettuce leaves (optional)                           

2 pkts of Popiah skin (500 gm each), these can be bought from Tesco Hypermarket or if you could get some freshly made, that would be great.

Chillie Paste : Grind together, 8-10 fresh chillies, 10-12 pips of garlic and chillie padi (bird eye chillie) Season with some salt and sugar.

Sweet paste, (these can be bought from provision shops from Chinatown

Cooking oil and 1 head of garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

 Method : 

1. Deep fry the shallots (these can be prepared earlier).
2. Prepare the chillie paste.
3. Thinly shred the tau kwa(soya bean cakes) and fry in oil till dry and fragrant.(season with salt to taste)

4. Use a shredder or food processor to shred the sengkuang(yam bean) and carrots.
5. Fry the minced garlic in oil till fragrant, add in the chicken meat shreds
6. Add in the minced prawns. Fry till fragrant.
7. Add in the sengkuang (yam bean) and carrots. Try to keep dry and not to add water.
8. Fry till vegetables are soft and done, then add in the greens. (French beans and Chinese leeks), fry till done.
9. Finally add in the fried taukwa (soya bean cakes), allow it to cook thoroughly.
10. Season to taste. The dish should not be too wet, (the popiah skin will break up) especially after the addition of the fried taukwa.

  Skin Preparation before Serving :

1. After defrosting,(those bought from Tesco) peel the Popiah skin, (they usually stick to one another) to overlap. Just peel those you are going to use.
2. Steam over gently boiling water on a plate larger than the skin for 5-8 minutes.(even those bought from the market, unless it is freshly made), (Not too long, otherwise they stick together).

If steaming a big stack of the Popiah skin, please do flip over a few times for even distribution of steam over the skin. Alternatively, you could just steam only a few at a time.

To Serve :

1. Place Poh Piah skin on a clean plate.
2. Spread a row each of the chillie paste and sweet sauce paste on the poh piah skin.
   
   
3. If using, spread a small piece of lettuce on the skin.
4. Scoop 3-4 tabsp. of the cooked Popiah vegetables, arrange in a row on the center of the skin.
5. Garnish with fried shallots and coriander (cilantro) leaves.
6. Flip one side of the skin over the vegetables, compact and roll it in a little, bend the ends, and finish the rolling.
7. Now, you get to enjoy the delicious Popiah as you bite into it. Yummy!
8. Alternatively, cut the Popiah into 4 -5 pieces and serve.

NOTES : 

1. If you are able to get Popiah skin from the market, which usually comes in packs of 300 gram, you will need 3 packs.
2. The Popiah vegetables can be kept in the fridge, heated up and will then be ready to be served again. If you cook a lot, you may want to spread out your Popiah skin purchases especially since those popiah skins go stale very easily.
3. Any left over skin are best sealed in a plastic bag. Cover the plastic bag with a damp cloth to prevent drying up. Store in coolest part of your fridge.
4. I personally find frying the tau kwa (soya bean cakes) tedious, as it is difficult to source for the hard ones, they are normally too soft to fry well from shreds. I now fry the whole pieces, then shred them and re-fry till as dry as you possibly can.

Most of the preparation can be done in advance, so fret not.

Hope you enjoy them as much as I do. :-D