Kway Guan Huat – Joo Chiat Original Popiah Skin & Kueh Pie Tee

Joo Chiat has really lots of interesting food stalls that are worth exploring. On one of our food hunts last Sunday, we came to Kway Guan Huat (Joo Chiat Original Popiah Skin & Kueh Pie Tee) to see the workers make popiah skin.

 

It is such a rare find, considering most popiah skins are made in factories. Kway Guan Huat started since 1938 and has been around for more than 70 years! Zita, the 2nd generation of Kway Guan Huat, said this is a dying trade as popiah making is time consuming and nobody is willing to learn.

 

These popiah skins were made in a traditional way hence the size and shape of each are different. The macho man worker holds a lump of the dough in his hand and swings it down the pan. After a few seconds, another worker will scrap out the skin and it’s done! It looks easy but there are times when the skin didn’t came off easily and had to be thrown away. 

Each of us had a crab popiah ($2). The skin was still warm when served. It was thin and soft packed with generous fillings like turnips, carrot, egg, lettuce, bean sprouts etc. I can’t really see the crab fillings but I can taste the crab sweetness. What was unique in their popiah, was the fried fish crisps. It gives a crunchy texture to the popiah.

 

You can also order a claypot of popiah ingredients with popiah skin (refillable) and try to DIY your own popiah. Vegans or those allergic to seafood can opt for the vegetarian version. They have kueh pie tee too.

 

With a shop like this, why bother to get thick, hard and cold popiah skins from supermarkets?