PETALING JAYA, Jan 15 — Fans of Bunga Raya Popiah in Melaka can now get their fix when their food truck makes its way to the Klang Valley. Based on their latest Facebook page update, they will be in PJ SS2, near the Maybank area, on January 19 from 12pm to 4pm.
In Melaka, the nickname for this roadside stall located along Jalan Bunga Raya, is "Fatman's Popiah", a reference to the stall owner.
Now his sons, Ong Chee How and Alan Ong, the fourth generation of the family, are carrying on the legacy.
Ong operates the stall in Melaka while Alan is the roadrunner, bringing the popiah to far flung places in Johor and now the Klang Valley.
The 43-year-old has been selling popiah from the back of his van since 2015.
Since he was a young boy still in primary school, he would help out at the stall, picking up his skills along the way.
In October last year, Alan upgraded his van to a food truck.
His customer base is in various places all over Johor. In November last year, he asked fans of the popiah to recommend places for him to open in the Klang Valley.
One of their devoted fans — Kash Wong — suggested Petaling Jaya SS2. Others said Puchong, Taman Connaught and Kuchai Lama.
On December 5 last year, he visited a few places as recommended, including SS2. A month later on January 5, he returned to the same spot in SS2, much to Wong's delight.
Wong had publicised the popiah to her friends, prompting many to go try it. Meanwhile, Wong would buy a large number of the popiah and refrigerate them.
She would consume them within the three days from the purchase. Since she keeps them for so long, she would ask for the beansprouts to be omitted since they can’t be kept.
Their popiah stands out for the large size, served uncut and eaten like a kebab. Even the fillings are different.
You have stewed yam bean, bean sprouts, omelette, sweet sauce and chilli sauce.
The killer ingredient is chunky fried pork lard. Like huge brown croutons, they're generously sprinkled all over the popiah to give it crunch and flavour, making their presence felt when you bite into the popiah.
The yam bean is also darker in colour compared to other stalls too, probably a nod towards the family's Hokkien heritage, since dark soy sauce is used in this instance.
Alan tells me the skin for the popiah is made by them. It's thin and soft, like a very thin pancake.
When preparing the popiah, he will first lay out the popiah skin on a wooden chopping board. He pinches out a long piece of skin, to cover the middle of the skin, since that is where he will place the fillings. This makes it much sturdier for the generous fillings.
He will smear brown sauce and if you requested for the spicy version, another layer of the bright chilli sauce. It's not too spicy but just gives your tongue a very mild buzz.
The yam bean is placed first, followed by a handful of the omelette cut into small chunks, bean sprouts and a generous sprinkle of the fried lard.
Alan folds the skin over the fillings, then he tucks in the sides and rolls it up. It's tighter than the usual popiahs, but it works better since this popiah is eaten like a hand held roll.
Each popiah is wrapped in paper, hence you can eat it straight away without any cutlery.
No wonder these popiah are so popular, it's hard to stop at just one. Each popiah is RM6.
Hopefully, Alan makes a trip to PJ SS2 next month before Chinese New Year. For the festival, the stall will take a three-day break.
Alan, who likes exploring new places, will often take a short break by searching for a good Chinese restaurant to enjoy a meal there before he hits the road again.
Follow their Facebook page for updates on his next arrival to PJ SS2, near Maybank or other places in the Klang Valley or Johor. Usually, he gives two days advance notice.
Today, the food truck will be in Mount Austin, from 1pm in front of DIY Optical, 38, Jalan Austin Height 7/7, Mount Austin, Johor.
Bunga Raya Popiah, 124, Jalan Bunga Raya, Melaka.
*This is an independent review where the writer paid for the meal.
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