Bangkuang (Yam Bean or Jicama) Char and Popiah

I learnt this dish from my mother-in-law; she cooked it all the time for prayers to our ancestors and my father-in-law. This is purely a vegetarian dish versus jiuhu (cuttlefish) char where cuttlefish is added. To prepare this, we need Bangkuang (aka Yam Bean or Jicama), round cabbage, leek, French beans, carrots and garlic.

I usually buy a medium-sized bangkuang. This is because when we add all the other vegetable, we will end up with quite a sizeable amount of bangkuang char.


Ingredients:

• 500 g bangkuang
• 250 g round cabbage
• 4 - 5 stalks leek
• 50 g French beans
• 100 g carrot
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 to 1 tsp dark soy sauce

Method:

• Peel and julienne the bangkuang.

• Julienne the cabbage.

• Cut 4-5 stalks of leek in a long slanting manner.

• Cut the French beans in long slanting manner.

• Julienne the carrot.

• Chop the garlic.

• Saute the garlic.

• Once fragrant, add the bangkuang, cabbage, French beans and carrot. Fry until these are soft by letting them simmer for about 15 minutes.

• Add in the leek and fry for about 5 minutes.

• Next, season with salt, light and dark and pepper.

• The dish is ready to be served.

• Note: Bangkuang Char is best eaten wrapped in lettuce (Sang Choy). It is tastier when it is kept overnight and fried again in a kuali (not heated up in a pot).

Popiah

Bangkuang Char is the main dish of Popiah. Besides it, other ingredients to make the Popiah are (but not limited to) as listed below:

• Popiah skin
• Lettuce
• Blanched beansprouts
• Steamed prawns
• Fried tau kua cubes
• Fried eggs
• Peeled and steamed crab sticks
• Shallot crisps
• Sweet black sauce
• Chili sauce