Growing Up in Nonya kitchen

Each delicate little crispy shell holds the same popiah filling. Laced with chilli chuka sauce
(page 160) and topped with coriander leaves. Never had I realised how much I took these
pai ti shells for granted, until I tried frying them. These days in Singapore, it is easy to buy a
plastic canister of such cups—quite costly I might add. Yet the true satisfaction is in making
them yourself.

The first time I made these shells, I used a brass mould purchased a while back at the old
CK Tang. After attempting 10 brown and black shells which then floated in overheated black
oil, and setting off my fire alarm, my arm began to ache from the weightiness of the mould.

I then asked Aunty Paddy for her little secret. It turned out that her moulds were passed
down two generations and had been in use for more than 50 years. To begin with, they were
hollow, resembling tiny muffin cups and were made of aluminum, a lighter metal. Aunty
Paddy also used two special brands of flour. She and my mother also added kapor (slaked
lime powder) to the batter to increase the crisp and crunch.

As a result of my research, I went hunting once again for a lighter mould. While Aunty
Paddy’s hollow, aluminum ones are priceless antiques, it is good news that the contemporary
moulds are much lighter in weight than the brass ones I had bought a decade back. It is best
to season the mould with cooking oil for a week prior to the first use. This enables the pai ti
shells to come off more easily.

Here, I am also including the filling and garnish recipes. While you can still refer to
the popiah filling recipe (page 146), this one in particular is for a smaller portion.

1. Combine the flour, slaked lime powder and salt. Create
a hole in the middle and add the egg. Pour in the water,
a little at a time and mix to a smooth batter.

2. Heat a deep pan of oil until 180 to 190 degrees C or 350
to 375 degrees F. Dip the dry pai ti mould in the pan to get
it equally hot. To begin frying, dip the mould in the batter,
returning it back into the oil. Fry the batter until crispy.

3. Use the pointed tip of a paring knife to separate the
shell from the mould. Let it float in the oil for a little while
longer until crispy.

4. Strain the shell out of the pan and transfer to a platter
lined with absorbent paper. Repeat the process until the
batter is used up.