Popiah Skin

Today, I am posting a recipe for homemade Popiah Skin aka the thin wrapper skin for Chinese Spring rolls. Popiah is a word derived from the Hokkien dialect. A good popiah skin must be thin and elastic. They should be strong enough to wrap the vegetable fillings without breaking apart. Fresh Popiah or spring rolls are popular in Malaysia and Singapore.


Anyway, my late grandmother was brilliant at making paper thin popiah skin. I recalled when I was a kid, I used to watch her painstakingly stirred and kneaded the batter until it turned elastic. I have tried using the same method in the past; but, it was too laborious for me. So, this is a simplified method, thanks to the modern mixer. :-)

There are only 3 key ingredients for the batter. You just need to beat the batter until it?s smooth and elastic. You will need a bit of practice to be able to coat the batter onto the griddle quickly in a circular motion using one hand. Click on the above video to see how I do it. In order for the batter to stick to the griddle, the temperature for the griddle has to be just right, about medium hot. I am sure you will need to fiddle with the heat adjustments a little before getting it right. Well, I will admit it is a bit of work, but I hope you will have a go at making the Popiah skin. Tomorrow, I will post the fillings to assemble a fresh delicious Popiah. :-)


Popiah Skin/Wrapper
(Printable Recipe)

Ingredients

800 g All-Purpose Flour, sifted
1 ½ tsp Sea Salt
800 ml Water

Method

Combine all the ingredients in a stand mixer bowl. Stir the batter with a wooden spatula, wrap with a cling film and let it rest for at least 3 hours.

Beat the batter for about 15 minutes, or until the batter is smooth and elastic.

Place the griddle or a flat cast-iron pan on a medium heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat slightly. Using one hand, coat the batter and rub onto the pan. Then use the other hand to peel off the wrapper when it is cooked.

Makes about 50 pieces (7 to 8?)