[Mateo Gabriel]

Popiah

Popiah is a Malaysian dish made of a filling of ground white rice wrapped in thin and crispy round bao dough then deep-fried. The wrapping is traditionally made with the leaves from plants such as taro, pandan, or even lettuce but most often it is used today with plain white flour dough. The best popiah is found in the morning and sold fresh by street hawkers from vendors with food stalls on pavements. It is commonly eaten with a green chili paste which gives it a hint of spiciness.

The popiah is made of thin, soft rice flour pancakes filled with various fillings like turnip, tofu, fish fillets and roast pork. The fillings are usually sweetened by adding a sauce made from mashed preserved plums, tamarind juice and sugar to it. To enjoy eating this delicious street food item, it should be eaten with a special peanut sauce and wrapped with lettuce before putting the sauce into the mouth.

The most common popiah are:

The rice-filled popiah is made of white or brown rice, a filling of minced meat or fish, crushed egg, crushed peanuts, and sometimes hot pepper sauce. The filling ingredients are usually prepared in advance and wrapped in banana leaves before being steamed in the ground over charcoal fires until they expand to double their size.