We love welcoming new, innovative vendors to our community. This week, we’re introducing Popiah – started in 2018 by founder Mim. Specialising in fresh rice paper rolls, also known as Popiah, which are a famous street food in Malaysia. ‘At Popiah, our mission is to cater what Malaysia is best at: good food, beautiful culture and top-notch hospitality.’
Read our quickfire Q&A with Popiah’s founder, Mim, below!
Tell us about Popiah
Fresh rice paper or wheat rolls, also known as Popiah, is a famous street food in Malaysia. At Popiah, our mission is to cater what Malaysia is best at: good food, beautiful culture and top-notch hospitality. Popiah aims to decolonise our diets by running away from processed foods loaded with sodium, sugar and fat. We believe in providing foods that our bodies were built for, and food that is readily accessible and abundant in nature – indigenous ingredients of Malaysia. Popiah believes in balanced meals, hence providing our customers the full Malaysian tingling taste bud experience through our nutritious and colourful popiah – hand rolled with super food ingredients, no added nasties and most importantly LOVE!
What was your journey to launching Popiah?
I’m Mim, 25 years old, originally from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and have now resided in England for 7 years – 2 years which I spent working in Project Management and Finance, and 3 years majoring in Business Management for my undergraduate in Oxford. Cooking and entertaining is my passion though and the idea of Popiah actually came to me in my final year at university (2017), where I organised lots of dinner parties for friends and family. One of the highlights for me that year was throwing popiah parties at home as they were very interactive, fun and helped me build strong meaningful relationships with friends. Building long lasting relationships through good food is embedded within Malaysian culture, and is something I aim to share with everyone through Popiah. So, here I am, supplying wholesome popiahs and a currently in the works, food kit called ‘Balut-lah!’ So you too can have your very own Malaysian popiah party at home.
What’s your favourite item from your menu?
Chicken popiah – the flavour of the turmeric infused rice balances out the spiced chicken just nicely, especially with the traditional Popiah sauce – Tiga Rasa.
Tell us a fun fact about your brand
All of our Popiah rolls are infused with specific fruits, vegetables, flowers and spices, it’s a traditional method of cooking in Malaysia that makes our food colourful like our culture!
What’s your go-to ingredient when you’re in the kitchen?
Potatoes, you could do anything with them! Boil, roast, fry… They’re a true gift.
Finally, what’s your favourite thing about the London foodie scene?
It’s eclecticism. I believe that food is art – I personally love experimenting with new ingredients, giving traditional dishes a slight twist based on how I feel and what I have in my cupboard. I think that’s very much what the London food scene offers – a mixed gastronomic experience.
