Popiah at Shang Wu Hawker Stalls, Penang

First of all, I have to thank Ah Bok for reminding me of this place via his instagram feed.

For those who may not be too familiar with this slightly less popular Penang hawker delight, the popiah in Penang is served a little different from those you find in Klang Valley, and personally, this version at Shang Wu hawker stalls at Ayer Itam hits the spot for me.

popiah stall at Shang Wu hawker center

The Shang Wu hawker area is just a handful of hawker stalls operating by the street that Shang Wu school is located. As a teenager, I often stopped by here with my bicycle for a spot of lunch. After all, cycling from Ayer Itam to Tanjung Tokong with an old beat-up bicycle does require some caloric intake.

This particular pohpiah stall has been in operation for over 20 years, which to be fair, may be a different operator from the one I had back in the 90s. However, the dish still tastes as good as I remembered.

The popiah is always prepared fresh and comes with their prawn paste, boiled turnip, eggs, mustard green, and some crab meat, all wrapped in soft popiah skin and then drenched with some of those sweet turnip soup. You can also have it slightly spicier with their chili paste added in as well.

Penang style crab meat popiah

The result is a soft and savory snack fit as a shared side dish, or even as a main dish itself. It’s not crispy at all, but give it a try and let me know if you’ll still be satisfied with the KL version after. RM 2 per piece here in 2023.

Shang Wu Hawker Stalls
Jalan Sekolah La Salle
Taman Lumba Kuda,
11400 George Town, Pulau Pinang
GPS: 5.40829, 100.299496
Hours: 10am to 4pm