Singapore 2024

 We return to Asian delights. Spice, seafood and finickity cookery. 

Singapore threw us a few options but we settled to make Popiah. A spring roll variant, without the need to deep fry.

Prawns are accompanied by a plethora of shredded vegetables and seasoned heavily to assemble the filling. Finding turnip in the supermarkets took three attempts.

The recipe sounded quite easy, so I insisted that we make the wrappers - and Heidi allowed me the honor. (Please don't let me make executive decisions again.) The pastry mixture is flour, water and salt, beaten in the mixer. That has to be painted onto the griddle (pancake pan) incredibly thinly but without holes. Then it's peeled off the hot pan by fingers, without tearing. And to insult me, the stack of semi-successful wrappers then stick together on the plate.

As we have seen throughout the year, Heidi took the lead with all the other tasks (including mixing the wrapper paste). She assembled all the rolls, spreading chilli and hoisin on the wrapper, filled with the stuffing and crumbled boiled egg. Finally, the edges are folded in and rolled up.

Sadly, the end result was a disappointment. This has all the potential to be high on the list of favourites, but the excess of white pepper made it taste of nothing else. A re-run of this could be worth doing with adjustments to the seasoning (except I am never making the wrappers again).

Veg medley

A glowing example of the mixer in action

Wallpaper paste

Cooking the prawns

Filling assembled

Heidi's career as a rapper 

Finished, carefully arranged to remember which ones had the chili.

Recipe

Included here for completeness, but it needs some adjustment if you were ever crazy enough to copy us.

Ingredients for the wrapper

    200g plain flour

    400ml cold water

    1 pinch salt

Ingredients for the filling

    2 eggs

    1 small turnip (makes 1 cup when shredded)

    1 small carrot (makes 1/2 cup when shredded) 

    chunk (that technical measurement) of cucumber (makes 1/4 cup when shredded)

    4 radishes (makes 1/2 cup when shredded)

    1 spring onion

    50ml groundout oil

    165g raw prawns, deshelled and de-veined (guess who had that job)

    1 dessertspoon of garlic paste

    salt

    1 teaspoon (don't do this) white pepper

    200g beansprouts

    1 tablespoon oyster sauce

    1 tablespoon light soy sauce

    100g unsalted peanuts

When assembling

    Hoisin sauce

    Sweet chili sauce

Method

1. Think seriously about your life choices and whether this is worth pursuing.
2. Hard boil the eggs for 5 minutes and immediately cool in running cold water. Keep these for later.
3. Have lots of fun with the pestle and mortar crashing the peanuts. Don't allow your sister a turn.
4. In the mixer, combine the wrapper ingredients, ensuring it is all fully mixed and no lumps are left. Ideally, you would pass this through a sieve, but we still can't find ours; perhaps someone has helpfully put it away.
5. On the hot griddle, paint a very thin layer of the paste with a silicone pastry brush in a criss-cross pattern leaving no holes, no thicker patches, and definitely not spraying it over the kitchen wall and Heidi's black jeans. After some inconsistent time, when it looks done, burn your fingers by pulling it up from the pan and set aside to cool. Repeat until you get bored. After several attempts with varying the heat, cooking time and patience, these do get better.
6. Shred the veg and finely slice the spring onions, presenting a beautiful bowl carefully assembled for the photograph.
7. Cut the prawns into little chunks, add the garlic and salt (but definitely not the white pepper), and fry in the groundnut oil until just cooked (pink).
8. Add to the pan the shredded turnip, carrot and radish. Cook until it dries out, stirring occasionally (15 minutes).
9. Add cucumber, beansprouts (I don't ever understand what these add), spring onions, plus oyster and soy sauces. Mix through and turn off the heat. 
10. Add the peanuts and mix through. 
11. Remove the egg shells and mash with a fork. 
12. In each wrapper, spread hoisin and sweet chilli sauces. Add a spoonful of the filling and sprinkle with some egg.
13. Wrap by folding in the sides and rolling. Complain regularly that your fingers are sticky.
14. If you do this successfully, they are served still warm!