500g yam bean (sengkuang)

400g carrots

250g garlic chives (kucai)

50g dried shrimp, soaked in hot water

2″ knob ginger, peeled

6 cloves garlic, peeled

1 cup cooking oil, plus more as needed

500g minced chicken

Salt

1 tbsp mushroom powder (optional)

1 tsp ground white pepper, or more to taste

1 package spring roll wrappers, 40 sheets, 215mm x 215mm

Small bowl of water

PREPARATION

1. Peel the yam bean, wash it, and either grate or finely slice it into matchsticks. Do the same for the carrots.
2. For the garlic chives, clean the leaves under running water, then slice them into 2″ strands.
3. Drain the soaked dried shrimp. Using a pestle and mortar, pound the shrimp along with the ginger and garlic into a paste. This will be relatively dry as there are no onions in this mixture. If a pestle and mortar are unavailable, mince these ingredients as finely as possible.

COOK THE FILLING

1. Place a large wok on the stove and turn the heat on to medium. Pour in 3 tbsp of cooking oil. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the minced chicken. Spread the meat into an even layer and season with about 2 tsp of salt. Leave it for about 1-2 minutes to brown slightly. Use a metal spatula to turn the meat and cook it further. Scrape up any bits stuck to the pan as well; add 1 tbsp of cooking oil at a time if the pan seems too dry.
2. Once there are no more pink spots left on the chicken, turn off the heat and lift the meat from the wok into a separate bowl. Discard any juices left in the wok, and place the wok back on the burner.
3. Pour in about 2 tbsp of cooking oil in the pan and turn the heat back up to medium. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the shrimp-ginger-garlic mixture to the wok. Stir fry this mixture until aromatic and the oil begins to separate from paste (pecah minyak).
4. Add the yam bean and carrots to the wok, and stir everything to mix evenly. Season with mushroom powder and ground white pepper, and mix again. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until the vegetables lose their raw taste.
5. Add the minced chicken from earlier, along with the garlic chives. Stir this final mixture as evenly as possible and cook for a further 3-5 minutes. Once done, turn off the heat and let the mixture cool.

TO ASSEMBLE

1. Defrost the spring roll wrappers according to package directions. Place the wrappers on a clean dish under a damp cloth to make sure they do not dry out. Have a bowl of the cooled popiah filling ready, along with a tablespoon and a small bowl of water.
2. Carefully peel one sheet of spring roll wrapper and place it diagonally on a clean and dry surface, such as a chopping board or a tray. Using the tablespoon, scoop about 2 spoons of filling onto the wrapper. Arrange it in a thick line, slightly off-centre (See photo labeled ‘1’ in gallery).
3. Lift the bottom of the wrapper over the filling and gently tuck it in over the top (photo ‘2’).
4. Fold the left side over the middle (photo ‘3’), then the right side (photo ‘4’).
5. Roll the popiah firmly and gently twice, making sure that the filling is packed well into the wrapper. When one corner is left to be folded over (photo ‘5’), moisten the edges of this corner with water, then immediately finish rolling to seal the popiah.
6. Continue rolling the rest of the popiah, setting them in a separate dish (photo ‘6’), and making sure to cover with a damp cloth so that it does not dry out.

TO FRY THE POPIAH

1. Place a wok or skillet over medium heat. Pour in enough oil so it comes up to about 1″ up the sides of the pan being used.
2. Place the popiah into the oil and fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown. Lift and drain excess oil on paper towels.
3. Serve while still hot and crispy, with a tangy chilli sauce of your choice.