Popiah skin in Sydney?

[Ce'nedra]

Yep, the wraper used in making that popular Hokkien/Teochew fresh spring roll (my mouth waters)

I am told people often resort to egg roll skins instead (of course without frying), but I'm not sure whether I'll enjoy this. It's a bit of a strange concept to me but I might give it a go...

We often just use rice paper to make popiah because I dpn't know whether we have the real thing at Chinese groceries...does anyone know?

Thanks in advance!

[rarerollingobject]

Yep, the wraper used in making that popular Hokkien/Teochew fresh spring roll (my mouth waters)

I am told people often resort to egg roll skins instead (of course without frying), but I'm not sure whether I'll enjoy this. It's a bit of a strange concept to me but I might give it a go...

We often just use rice paper to make popiah because I dpn't know whether we have the real thing at Chinese groceries...does anyone know?

Thanks in advance! 

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I'm pretty sure I've seen this at Randwick Oriental Supermarket, on Belmore Rd in Randwick.

And I've also used thawed spring roll wrappers before as substitutes..not too bad, but a little stiffer than proper popiah skins. But a sprinkle of water and a short zap on low in the microwave to steam the roll a little helped somewhat.

[Ce'nedra]

Thanks for the reply rarerollingobject! Randwick...hmm...close to uni, but so far from where I live hahhaa! Not sure if I can get it. I'll go take a look when I can, thanks!

Do you think popiah skins are really that rare in Sydney?

I thought popiah is popular, so then whatever happened to the essential ingredient? Arrghh!

If I really can't get my hands on the popiah skin, I may have to try the spring roll wrappers.

Thanks for the tip -sounds like a really good idea

Do you have to leave a wet towel/cloth over it? I heard that's what people do...

[Ylee]

Hi there! I don't think I've ever seen them around in the shops, though I can't say I'm ever on the lookout for them, as a good version of them is pretty easy to make Can give you the recipe if you're interested.

[Ce'nedra]

Hi there! I don't think I've ever seen them around in the shops, though I can't say I'm ever on the lookout for them, as a good version of them is pretty easy to make Can give you the recipe if you're interested.

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How easy?

Yes I would like the recipe thanks very much!

I'll see how it goes -otherwise, there's always the reliable rice paper lol.

[Ylee]

Got your message. Sorry about the delay. Here's the recipe.

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Popiah Skins (makes about 30-32) :

290g plain wheat flour and 60g tapioca flour (for a lighter mix), or about 350g plain flour

8 large eggs

4 cups water

pinch of salt

Sift flour into a basin. Make a well in the centre, break in the eggs, and stir lightly, adding the water and salt to produce a batter. Stir out all lumps and leave the batter to stand for at least one hour. Brush a frying pan with oil lightly (or use a non-stick pan). heat the pan on a stove set on a low heat, and when it is hot but not too hot pour in enough batter to cover the bottom of the pan thinly (it should not be so hot as to create holes and therefore perforations in the pancake). Allow to cook until the pancake lifts around the edges and is cooked. Lift the pancake out and place it on the back of an upturned plate to cool. If it is too thick stir a little more water into the batter mixture before proceeding any further. Proceed in the same way until all the batter is used up, piling each successive pancake on top of the last.

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And this one actually yields the kind of eggless popiah skins I grew up eating, but I haven't tried the recipe out yet. I've seen people cooking popiah skins by the roadside. The dough is "slapped" onto the hot flat griddle, leaving behind a layer of skin which is then peeled off and left to cool. Will be attempting this some time, as it sounds easy.. and fun! Meanwhile, if you beat me to it, please report back!

600g plain flour

1 tsp salt

200ml water

Method

Mix flour, salt and enough water to make a sticky, soft dough. Beat till smooth then slap dough till elastic. Cover with a damp tea towel. Leave to rest for 2–4 hours.

Heat a heavy cast iron griddle over a moderate heat. Rub the surface lightly with a piece of oiled cloth. Take a handful of the soft dough and rub quickly and lightly across the pan to make a thin round shape of a desired size. Cook the dough on a moderate heat until the popiah skin can be easily peeled off the pan (this process takes about a few seconds.)

Lift the popiah skin of the griddle and stack each one. Always cover the popiah skins with a damp tea towel until required.

[Ce'nedra]

Slap the dough till elastic? Okay, I may need some assistance and explanation in this particular part haahhaa.

Here's hoping you give it a try, make a success, then guide me through lol!

Thanks so much for the recipes btw

I think the egg-less recipe sounds more traditional, at least according to what I'm familar with.

[Ce'nedra]

HOLY! Is this what that direction means?

http://www.flickr.com/photos/sathea/807796444/

OH MY.....................my knees are shaking...

[Ylee]

Wow great photo! Thanks for the link I like the look of concentration on his face. I haven't had time to try the recipe out yet, but plan to when I get a weekend free! Will let you know.. I think the 'slapping' thing is because the dough is quite soft and sticky (like in that photo), so really, you wouldn't be kneading it per se.

[kleinebre]

When I look at the recipes above, I can already see good intentions cloud the facts again. The 600g flour/200g water recipe is going to be useless. Since 500/300 is a common proportion for bread dough, 600/200 is going to be a very dry stiff dough, while popiah skins call for a pretty gloopy dough I've seen a youtube video using 9 parts water for 10 parts flour, by weight (

) and 1 tsp sea salt - which I'm guessing amounts to roughly 1% of the weight of the flour and the water combined, similar to the proportion in stretchy noodle dough.

(Start interlude)

I've never (yet) managed to make popiah skins the "official" way, but found that warka/brick pastry is an excellent substitute, if a lot more time consuming than making "real" popiah skins. A good starting point is to point your search engine to the warka recipe from Titli's busy kitchen. If you need a gluten-free version, use rice flour and egg white. I suggest adding a pinch of baking powder to make the skins extra crispy.

(End interlude)

Since flour can be a temperamental beast, I'd like to get a bit more factual detail from someone who makes their own popiah skins:

- What proportion flour/water they use, by weight
- Protein content of the flour used (it's the low gluten vs high gluten debate all over again)
- Additives in the flour (ascorbic acid, raising agents etc)
- Amount of salt (or proportion) by weight
- Resting time
- The actual temperature at which the dough is rested, as measured
- The actual temperature of the cooking surface as measured with an infrared thermometer.