It was my Dad's birthday the other day and my Mum cooked us one of her specialties called - Popiah.
It's a wrap that has jacima as it's filling and are either raw or it's cooked. My Mum's version however is stewed and supposed to be cooked for at least an hour or more. Most places don't cook it that long which does makes a difference. My Mum's version is so good, I never order 'Popiah' from stalls outside.
This dish is after all a recipe that goes as far back as my great-grand-mother of which I'm not sure whether it goes even further back down the generational line but that's as far as I know, so you know it's gotta be really really good!
Here's how to make the dish:
Jacima is julianned and then cooked in a pot with slices of pork belly, french beans, fried firm tofu, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce. The tofu goes in for the final 5-10 minutes of the hour so that it doesn't break up and turn into mush.
Separately, an egg and prawn omelet is fried and pork belly is boiled with some salt and cut into slices.
It's also served with black sauce that I don't know what the name of it is in English but it's a savory and sweet sauce. Do not replace it with hoisin, it changes the taste of what this dish is suppose to be. Haha
There's also toppings of chili 'sambal', fried shallots, coriander, and blanched bean sprouts, that you can opt to add into your Popiah wrap.
We don't have often and probably once a year or once in 2 years as it takes a lot of time and effort to prep and cook this meal so it was a real treat and what a delicious meal to celebrate my Dad's 71st birthday.
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The truth is that I really wanted to try that recipe prepared by your mother. I hope you had a great time celebrating your father's birthday.