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| Popular popiah: a healthy nutritious wrap |
“I’m having a popiah party this Sunday. Are you free to come for lunch?”
Whenever I pose this question to my friends or relatives, I get a positive
response. Most are intrigued by the idea of a popiah party and are ever-willing
to try this new experience.
Malaysians of all races, young or old, rich or poor, enjoy food and popiah
is a favourite appetiser. It can be quite pricey if you eat out – one piece may
cost from RM 1.00 to RM 1.50 - so an invitation to a popiah party is always
welcome.
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| Young people - cousins - enjoying popiah together |
My guests are usually small groups of 10-12 people. We sit at a round
table with the ingredients placed in the centre on a Lazy Susan.
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| Guests sit at a round table with ingredients in the centre |
Popiah, a potpourri of vegetables and meat wrapped in membranous flour
skin, is a Hokkien dish. Almost every Malaysian enjoys it.
The traditional vegetables are yambean, carrots, long bean, lettuce,
cucumber, bean curd, eggs and fried shallots. Often meat, like Chinese sausages,
prawns or chicken is added. Other variations include French beans, spring
onions and bean sprouts. Chilli and sweet sauce are spread on the skin. Some
people enjoy popiah with caramel and groundnut topping.
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| Ingredients for the popiah wrap |
Most of the ingredients, raw or cooked, are cut in thin strips. I often use
electrical kitchen appliances to help me do the job quickly and efficiently. You
can invite your friends to help you prepare the ingredients and this leads to
much laughter and merriment as well.
A popiah party is good for socialising. As we make the rolls, the
conversation will flow. The whole process of scooping the ingredients on to the
skin and folding it to make a tube-like popiah takes some time, so the tongue
works full time as the fingers move.
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| Popiah party: good for socialising |
I enjoy watching my guests as they make their individual popiah roll. While
most spread the sauce first, followed by lettuce and the rest of the ingredients,
others will do the opposite, adding the sauce last! It is fascinating to study “knights
of the round table” doing the “roll call”.
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| Wrapping popiah: fold popiah skin from one side |
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| Wrapping popiah: fold the two sides |
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ingredients indecisively. Some use their fingers to pick the item they like best and
nibble on it while they talk.
Some make thin, compact and delicate rolls while others make full and
large ones that burst at the seams. Sometimes the ingredients and sauces leak
out after the first bite!
Men generally make terrible popiah. Instead of folding the skin from one
edge, some do it both ways, forgetting to tuck in the sides. With the “opened
parcel” in their palms, they will be at a loss as to which end to bite first. Usually,
they will resort to using fork and spoon to eat their “helpless heap” much like
eating a plate of salad. Anyway, patiently or painfully packed, the popiah will
result in satisfactory grins once it is tucked safely in the stomach.
Popiah is a balanced meal: nourishing and healthy. It is good for those on
a diet too. There is none of the bloated feeling that often comes with a meaty
meal. The vegetables are rich in vitamins and antioxidants. Minerals like calcium
and iron – very important for children and senior citizens – are found in beancurd
(tofu) and dark green, leafy vegetables. Popiah is low in cholesterol and high in
fibre too. “I make popiah almost every day for my husband. It gives instant relief
to his constant constipation,” a senior friend told me laughingly.
So, try a popiah party and feel the difference. It is ideal for seniors: a
healthy diet that is anti-aging. Get together and have fun doing the preparation
together as many hands make light work.
You can have potluck popiah too – where everyone prepares one item
and you come together for the final combination.
Around the world, people enjoy their own kinds of popiah. Hong Kong
tim sum usually includes the fried version of the popiah which is crisp and crunchy,
or the steam version which is soft and meaty .
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| Fried popiah |
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| Steamed popiah |
Temaki sushi is a form of rolled sushi. It is made up of a rolled cone of seaweed, wrapped around rice and fillings. Fillings can be any fish, prawn and vegetables example salmon, unagi (Japanese eel), crabmeat, lettuce, avocado or cucumber.
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| A temaki sushi of rice, lettuce, cucumber, unagi and avocado. |
Mexican burrito is a wrap of rice, black beans, grilled meat, salsa, onion,
tomato and cheese, folded with a thicker popiah skin called tortilla.
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| Mexican Burrito folded with tortilla Photo: Angela Wong |
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| Mexican Burrito: with rice, black beans, grilled meat,salsa, vegetables and cheese Photo: Angela Wong |
Vietnamese popiah – made up of a thin papery rice flour wrap of meehoon, carrots, shallots,
prawn or other meat and Chinese parsley – is often dipped in a sour, spicy,
sweet sauce.
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| Vietnamese popiah |
These different versions of popiah from different parts of the world are
mouth-watering, each with its individual distinctive flavour. Be adventurous and
try different variations of the popiah. Enjoy socialising in this healthy nutritious
wrap.
Popiah anyone?
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This article was published in the Star (Malaysian newspaper) on 25th December 2000.
Photos are added here. A popiah now in 2015 costs Rm 1.50 to Rm 2.00.
This article is also in my cookbook "Quick and Healthy Meals" together with
the popiah recipe. The book costs Rm 25 and is sold in Klang, Malaysia.
For more information on the cookbook, please write to:
quickandhealthy@yahoo.com
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