Name: Popiah
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: Singaporean
Ingredients: 250 g popiah skins or spring roll wrappers (8 skins); 2 tbsp vegetable oil; 4 garlic cloves, crushed; 600 g jicama (yam bean), cut into thin sticks; 2 carrots, cut into thin sticks; 150 g cooked peeled prawns; 2 tbsp soy sauce; 3 eggs, beaten; 8 lettuce leaves; 100 g bean sprouts; 40 g roasted peanuts, crushed; 4 tbsp hoisin sauce; 2 tsp chilli sauce

Popiah

Fresh Singaporean spring rolls of tender stewed turnip and carrot, egg, peanuts and sweet sauce, wrapped in thin skins; the filling cooks for 30 minutes.

1 hr total Serves 8 servings Medium

Why Popiah Works

Popiah is a roll-your-own affair, laid out as a table of fillings, where everyone builds a soft, thin, un-fried spring roll and eats it in a few bites, a Singaporean favourite. It is a build-your-own meal.

The heart of the filling is turnip, or jicama, cut into thin sticks and stewed slowly with carrot and garlic until tender and almost sweet. Squeeze the cooked filling dry before using it. Wet filling soaks through the skin and the roll falls apart in the hand. Alongside it go strips of thin omelette, crisp lettuce, bean sprouts, chopped peanuts and cooked prawns.

Lay a skin flat, brush it with hoisin sauce and a little chilli, then pile a line of filling across the lower third. Fold in the sides, roll up tightly and cut in half if wanted. Popiah skins dry out quickly, so keep the stack under a damp cloth while you work. Roll tightly.

Popiah, Step by Step

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Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and fry the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the jicama and carrots, then the soy sauce and 100 ml water. Cover and cook for 20 minutes until soft.
Remove the lid and cook for 5 minutes until dry. Stir in the prawns. Drain off any liquid and cool slightly.
Heat the rest of the oil and cook the eggs as a thin omelette for 2 minutes. Slice into strips.
Lay a skin flat, brush with hoisin and chilli sauce, and add lettuce, bean sprouts, filling, egg and peanuts.
Fold in the sides and roll up tightly. Repeat with the rest and serve at once.

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Notes for Getting It Right

Squeeze the cooked filling dry before rolling.
Keep the skins under a damp cloth so they do not crack.
Do not overfill; a thinner roll is easier to eat.

Ingredient Swaps

Dried chilli flakes can stand in for the chilli. Heat varies a great deal between chillies and between jars, so start with a small pinch and add more to taste.
An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

Serving Suggestions

Chilli sauce
Satay
Iced tea
Fresh fruit

Keeping and Reheating

Best eaten at once. The cooked filling keeps for 2 days in the fridge; roll fresh.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.

313Calories

12gProtein

46gCarbs

9gFat

5gFibre

5gSugar

540mgSodium

Dairy-Free

Popiah

Popiah, Step by Step

Notes for Getting It Right

Ingredient Swaps

Serving Suggestions

Keeping and Reheating

The Numbers per Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

Popiah, Step by Step

Notes for Getting It Right

Ingredient Swaps

Serving Suggestions

Keeping and Reheating

The Numbers per Serving

Your notes on this recipe

Cooked this? Keep a note for next time

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