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Crispy pastry shells filled with a savory vegetable filling called kuih pie tee or selat popiah is a popular appetizer or snacks in Southeast Asia. Learn how to make the pie tee shells that stays crispy too.
I haven’t had selat popiah for ages until my mom brought me the special mould needed to make the crispy shells few months ago. It’s one of my favorite snacks. They are usually made to order. If I’m not mistaken it is called selat popiah from the word “salad” = selat and the popiah basically referring to the same vegetable filling to make fresh popiah Medan. Selat popiah is very popular in my hometown I grew up in Indonesia. Selat popiah is known as kuih pie tee in Singapore and Malaysia. Pie Tee is considered peranakan/nyonya food. It was named as such because the shell looks like an upside-down hat.
PIE TEE MOULD
Making pie tee or selat popiah does require a special mould if you decide to make the shells from scratch. My mom got me three different kinds. They all do the same thing, it’s just that some have 2 or 3 mould attached, thus they do make frying the shells a bit faster. I prefer to stick with the mould that only has one, because it’s easier to manage IMHO.
Pie Tee Mould
Varieties of pie tee moulds
PIE TEE SHELLS THAT STAY CRISPY
Of course, we all want crispy shells that stay crispy for a long time. I’ve been playing with the amount of different types of flour and here are what I found:
1. Shells make with 50-50 combination of all-purpose flour and rice flour does taste better, BUT they get soggy so fast
2. Shells make with more rice flour doesn’t taste as good, but still acceptable, compared to the ones with more all-purpose flour, BUT the shells stay crispy for days or even beyond one week when fried until golden brown and then kept in an air-tight container
So I decided to stick with no.2 because the shells stay crispy for such a long time and I can make the shells ahead and fill with the filling whenever I want to serve them.
HOW TO MAKE CRISPY PIE TEE SHELLS FROM SCRATCH
It may take you a few shells before you get the hang of frying the shells, but don’t worry, you’ll get it!
1. Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl
2. Add the eggs and start to stir
3. Gradually add water until you get a smooth batter. You may need to strain it through the sieve to make sure it’s smooth
4. Transfer the batter into a place that is deep enough to dip the mould when you fry. Cover and rest the batter for 30 minutes
5. Preheat oil for frying and preheat the mould
Preheat about 3 inches of oil. Dip the pie tee mould in the oil to preheat it. This step is to avoid the batter sticking to the mould while you fry later
6. Dip the mould into the batter, leaving about 1 mm gap on top
When ready to fry, give the batter a stir and then dab the preheated mould in an absorbent paper towel to dab off excess oil and dip the mould into the batter, BUT not all the way. Leave about 1 mm from the top. If you dip all the way to the top, you won’t be able to dislodge the pie tee shell later
7. Control the heat
You want to fry over medium-high heat, but not too high that the shells get burn. They should be golden brown. If the shell is stuck, you can use a skewer or a chopstick to help release the shells
8. After frying a few shells, you may need to preheat the mould again before you dip into the batter and fry again. Don’t forget to give the batter a stir too as the flour may sink to the bottom. Continue until you run out of the batter. Place the fried shells on an absorbent paper towel to dab off excess oil
9. Let the shells cool down completely and then store in an air-tight container or zipper bag
HOW TO ASSEMBLE SELAT POPIAH
Now that you have the shells and the filling, it’s time to put them together. Please do not assemble ahead of time as the filling will make the pie tee shells turn soggy. Only prepare as many as you want to serve and serve immediately.
1. Top the pie tee shells with jicama filling. Few strips of the omelet strips and sprinkle some bawang goreng on top and then garnish with 1-2 cilantro leaves
2. Serve with your favorite spicy chili sauce or sweet-spicy chili sauce
I was beyond thrilled when I popped this cute pie tee inside my mouth. It’s been so long! The memory of me as a kid eating this when I was Medan just flashed right in front of me! So good and satisfying!
The best part is the two kiddos get to experience this too 🙂 They love selat popiah as much as I do!
DID YOU MAKE THIS SELAT POPIAH OR PIE TEE RECIPE?
I love it when you guys snap a photo and tag to show me what you’ve made 🙂 Simply tag me @WhatToCookToday #WhatToCookToday on Instagram and I’ll be sure to stop by and take a peek for real!
Selat Popiah/ Kuih Pie Tee / Nyonya Top Hat
Ingredients
Dry ingredients:
- 100 gr rice flour
- 20 gr all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp salt
Wet ingredients:
- 1 large egg beaten
- 200 ml water
Toppings:
- 2 large eggs beaten
- 1 recipe of Jicama filling
- Fresh cilantro leaves
- Fried shallots crisp
Instructions
Prepare the toppings (can be done few days before):
- Follow this recipe for the jicama filling. You may have some leftover. Then fry the beaten eggs in a non-stick pan and then cut into omelet strips
Prepare the batter:
- Mix all the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the eggs and gradually add water until you get a smooth batter. You may need to strain it through the sieve to make sure it's smooth
- Cover and rest the batter for 30 minutes
Frying:
- Preheat about 3 inches of oil. Dip the pie tee mould in the oil to preheat it. This step is to avoid the batter sticking to the mould while you fry later
- When ready to fry, give the batter a stir and then dab the preheated mould in an absorbent paper towel to dab off excess oil and dip the mould into the batter, BUT not all the way. Leave about 1 mm from the top. If you dip all the way to the top, you won't be able to dislodge the pie tee shell later
- Once you dip in the batter, quickly dip the mould into the oil to fry. Do not move it or try to remove the shell just yet. Let it fry until golden brown and then when you move the mould up and down, the shell will release itself and let it continue to fry until golden brown. If the shell is stuck, you can use a skewer or a chopstick to help release the shells
- After frying a few shells, you may need to preheat the mould again before you dip into the batter and fry again. Don't forget to give the batter a stir too as the flour may sink to the bottom. Continue until you run out of the batter. Place the fried shells on an absorbent paper towel to dab off excess oil
- As you continue to fry, the batter will get less and less and you need to move it to a smaller and taller container so it's easier for you to dip the mould in there if that's making any sense
Store the pie tee shells:
- Let the shells cool down completely and then store in an air-tight container or bag
Assemble (only assemble when ready to be served):
- Do not assemble ahead of time as the filling will make the pie tee shells turn soggy. Only prepare as many as you want to serve
- Top the pie tee shells with jicama filling. Few strips of the omelet strips and sprinkle some bawang goreng on top and then garnish with 1-2 cilantro leaves
- Serve with you favorite spicy chili sauce or sweet spicy chili sauce
If you like selat popiah, you will definitely like this popiah Medan too.
7 comments
Hi Marvellina,
Some recipes call for the addition of cornflour as well as rice and plain flour. Do you know what purpose that serves? What about adding a little kapur sirih in the batter to crisp things up?
Hi Hsu Lin, The addition of kapur sirih will most likely makes the shells stay crispy longer, I haven’t tried that myself, but in general, it should. I’m not sure about adding the cornflour in the batter would do though.
Ever tried mixing in some kapur sirih to the batter to make it crispier for longer? Wonder if that would work…….
Can you please tell me where you buy this three piece pie tee mold from?
Hi Michelle, my mom actually got it for me in Indonesia at the shop where they sell baking supplies. If you are in Singapore, I know a place like Poon Huat most likely will have it too.
I love this so so much! Thx for sharing Marvellina!
Same here Linda. It’s been ages since I had these!!!