we had popiah for lunch

the namly popiah (the namly anything, actually) is famous for being overly... stuffed - the main reason being that you have to construct it yourself, with free reign over the range and quantity of ingredients used. thence, being the greedy shits we are/i am, it naturally contains ALL of them. a LOT of them. regardless of popiah-skin holding capacity.

start by wiping your plate dry of drool, and plop down a juliet-made popiah skin (smooth side facing up) let the building begin. to construct a stable popiah, like all good things in life, you must first lay a proper foundation. ideally 2 big vegetable leaves are enough but if you foresee over-overstuffing, use more pieces, spread out well to cover enough surface area. remember to shake off excess water droplets, or it'll soak through and become a potential leak. for that extra fresh taste, throw in a sprig of coriander leaves.

then, spread some pounded garlic and chilli down the length of the leaves, add a handful of sliced cucumber and towgays. if you can't get your hands on some baby bamboo shoots, just use the normal bangkwang sliced and simmered in a claypot. dump that on the leaves. now. lapcheong, towkua, fresh crabmeat, prawns, pork, and egg. special mention for the egg - tis no ordinary boiled egg anyhow chopped up; fresh sengchoon eggs (yolks And whites) are cracked into a bowl, mixed evenly and spread thinly over a fire in a non-stick frying pan. just before it cooks fully, slide it out and roll it up to cut transversely such that the inside is 0.5% runny, while the outside is soft yet toasty. pour your preferred amount of sweet flour sauce and lastly, sprinkle a spoonful of pounded fried salted fish on top.

satisfied? roll it up carefully. too tight and it'll burst, too slack and the skin will break when you try and cut it. if you choose to cut it, that is. my mother has a tendency to have ice-kachang-looking popiahs which are impossible to roll up and cut without disastrous results, so she just picks the whole "roll" up and slowly works her way from one end to the other. note that eating the namly popiah is very much a trial-and-error skill, meaning it takes a few tries to get it just right. so even if your popiah isn't overstuffed, you will be.

haha i'm really bored!

say hello to the love in your heart :)

hello!haha! like a formal class shot where we'd fold our hands neatly in our laps

then we'll remove our ties (except laulau who didn't even wear one for the formal) and smile crazily for the candid one.