I love birthdays. In my family when it’s your birthday you get to choose what you want to eat. So I was uber excited when my cousin requested for poh piah.

For those of you that don’t know what poh piah is, just think of a big spring roll that doesn’t need deep-frying. The ingredients vary depending on personal preference, and to many Singaporeans, depending on how your grandmother makes it – because we all know, grandmas are the best cook. In my family we use Chinese sausage; prawns; bean sprouts; shredded cucumber; egg (or egg roll); lettuce; sweet soy sauce (and chilli if you like it hot); and a vegetable stew kind of thing that has carrots, cabbage, bamboo shoots and tofu all thinly sliced.

One of the great things about poh piah is that you sit around the table and make the rolls yourself as you go. You get to pick and choose what you want to put in and, the fun part, how big you make it. When I was a kid, eating poh piah was (and still is) great fun. You got to make a mess of yourself (and the table) if you didn’t roll it properly or if you put way too many ingredients in.

I must admit, it was actually quite stressful making these rolls as a kid. Sometimes when it fell apart, it was like failing a test at school. But after many years of practice and having sauce drip all the way down your arm because you put too much sweet soy sauce in, I think I’ve finally mastered it. It’s all about the right proportions, don’t be too greedy; smart layering, use lettuce as a base to hold the sauce; and neat rolling, tuck
your corners in nicely.

And the final result, a poh piah that doesn’t drip and doesn’t fall apart.