I am a huge lumpiah/popiah fan. This is a soft spring roll filled with vegetables that possibly gets it roots from Hokkien (you see it in Malaysia, Singapore, Xiamen, Taiwan . . .). My mom makes an awesome one (recipe here!), and I’m always trying to seek it out wherever I go.
I tried one in Xiamen that I thought was phenomenal.
Making Popiah from Scratch
So when my cookbook author friend Nina Simonds asked me to organize an eating itinerary for our weekend trip in Taiwan, I wanted to include this very local dish.
I looked up popiahs online and Ahong was highly recommended. We made the trip out (and even filmed a small video there!). It was my first time having freshly made wrappers! I was mesmerized watching the person hand make each one (watch the video to really appreciate his skills!).
The texture of the skin was amazing, and the inside ingredients were fresh. Overall, it was tasty, though the version I ordered wasn’t as flavorful as I had hoped. I actually liked the one I had in Xiamen (as well as my mom’s version) a lot better. Maybe I needed to add one of the sauces that they offer!
Still, it was fun to head out to this neighborhood to try a freshly made lumpia.
Here we are, 10AM, in front of the shop.
While the sole guy churned out freshly made wrappers inside, these ladies serviced the line of customers outside, custom-filling each lumpia to the customer's requests.
Exploring the Market at Wuxing Street
Afterwards, we explored the very traditional outdoor day market all along Wuxing Street, which is where Ahong Popiah 阿弘潤餅 is also located. Super fun!
Love all the homemade foods. Here's sticky rice with mushrooms & pork on the left, and rice vermicelli on the right.
Hand wrapped dumplings!
My favorite! Rose (or wax) apples!
We thought these freshly picked baby "white jade" daikons looked so cute.
Deep purple basil!
I'd never seen such deeply red (garnet!) colored rose apples before.
White and green bitter melon!
Taiwanese style "futomaki" rolls.
It was a fun, laid back morning of walking out to Ahong Popiah 阿弘潤餅 for breakfast and then wandering around the fresh food market. The market definitely has a really authentic, old-school feel to it.
Ahong Popiah 阿弘潤餅
No. 189, Wuxing St, Xinyi District, Taipei City, Taiwan 110
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