[NON-HALAL]

When it comes to food, Melaka is probably best known for its chicken rice balls – but during this writer’s recent visit, he decided to stop by a humble establishment known as Bunga Raya Popiah.

The stall selling this classic Malaysian-style wet spring roll was once located on the narrow street of Jalan Bunga Raya, hence its name; but it has since relocated to Jalan Munshi Abdullah a few hundred metres away from its original location.

It’s also a shop now, not just a stall, with improved parking and waiting areas – an upgrade for sure!

A pair of popiah costs RM7, up from RM2 about 20 years ago. The shop is manned by the third-generation seller who’s very friendly and keen to chat when it isn’t too busy.

According to him, they make every popiah from scratch, including the skin, which they also sell. The filling is a hearty mix of turnip cooked for hours, egg, bean sprouts, and rendered pork lard.

The result? A popiah the size of a burrito, packed with the above ingredients and a healthy serving of fried lard, plus the requisite sweet sauce that ties it all together. There’s also, of course, chilli sauce – feel free to customise the spiciness to your liking.

As for the flavour? Delicious! A cacophony of texture with sweetness and spiciness, augmented by the crunch of the lard: easily the tastiest food this writer has had in Melaka in the longest time.

He ended up “tapau”-ing some to bring back home to KL, but of course, popiah is best eaten hot and fresh!

Bunga Raya Popiah (NON-HALAL)
124, Jalan Munshi Abdullah,
Kampung Jawa,
75100 Melaka

Read the original article here, and read more articles by KY Speaks on FMT Lifestyle here.

Trying to influence your cravings since 2005, Kar Yeong was Guest Judge on Versus 1001 Rasa Baba’s 2018, R.AGE Food Fight Judge 2015 and NTV7 Foodie Blogger 2014. To read more about Kar Yeong’s food journeys, visit his blog at KYspeaks.com.