Popiah is a Teochew word that means “thin pancake”. Popiah is a thin paper-like crepe wrapper. It’s stuffed with a filling made of cooked vegetables and meats. When deep fried, the crispy roll is more commonly known as spring roll, but if the wrapper is as it is, it is known as popiah. You will see a popiah hawker stall in most Singapore hawker centres.
Popiah is a food of Southeastern Chinese origins. It began in Fujian Province. It is normally eaten during spring when there is an abundance of vegetables. There have been many variations ever since. We eat it all the time on our Singapore food tours. The dish is always a popular stop.
Popiah runs deep in the Quek family who own the famous Kway Guan Huat Popiah & Kueh Pie Tie shophouse restaurant at 54, Joo Chiat Place since 1938. We visit them on our Artisan food tour.
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The Quek siblings grew up watching their father wake up at dawn to prepare the day’s popiah dough. Back then, the boys would try to master the skills of making paper-thin popiah skin, where the girls would learn the art of preparing scrumptious Nonya popiah filling from their Peranakan mother.
The family-run popiah business has been making handmade popiah skin for over 70 years. They are an iconic name for older Peranakans and longtime residents of the Joo Chiat, Katong and East Coast and a popular stop on the tour.
Despite the advancement of technology and cooking aids, Kway Guan Huat continues to mix and churn the popiah dough the old-fashioned way – by hand with a wooden pole. This was the way their forefathers did in Anxi, Fujian province.
It is no doubt that this craft of making the traditional popiah skin is a fast vanishing trade. Kway Guan Huat Joo Chiat Popiah’s rich food heritage is included in the National Heritage Board’s historical food tour.
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