Ingredients
The wrapper
- 4popiah skins
- thin wheat crepes
- or thin spring roll wrappers
- kept covered and soft
The peanut brittle
- a block of peanut candy
- or 200 g peanut brittle
- to shave or crush
The ice cream
- 4scoops taro ice cream
- or peanut, or a mix
- kept very cold
The herb
- a small handful of coriander
- leaves only
- or leave it out
Directions
- Crush it as finely as you can. Some people take it and some do not. Leave it out if you dislike it. Popiah skin is a very thin wheat crepe.
- Keep them covered with a damp cloth. Work with only one skin at a time. This must be assembled very fast. Set out all the components first. You have about thirty seconds to assemble. Crush it as finely as you can manage.
- Use a generous handful per roll. Preparing the coriander is straightforward enough. Pick the coriander leaves from the stems. Use the leaves rather than the stems. Stems are tough in a cold roll.
- Pick them off and discard them. Lay one single popiah skin out flat. Keep the rest covered with a damp cloth. They dry within a minute uncovered.
- Work with one single skin at a time. Scatter peanut candy over the skin. That layer stops the skin going soggy. Set the ice cream on the candy. Work fast from this moment on. Have all of the rest ready to go.
- Scatter more candy over the ice cream. That keeps the thin skin drier. Scatter coriander leaves over the top. A small handful of it is enough. Fold the near edge over the filling. Fold both of the sides in over it. Roll the whole thing up tightly.
- Roll it firmly but not too hard. The skin tears if you press too hard. Fold them in as you roll it up. Serving it is always done immediately. Make every roll of it to order.
Technique
- The candy is entirely peanut, peanut allergy is common and severe, and the roll is wrapped so nothing inside is visible — which makes saying clearly what is in it more important here, not less.
- Assemble it very fast, since the ice cream starts melting the moment it touches the skin and a slow roll gives a soggy mess. Set out everything before you start and get the ice cream out last; you have about thirty seconds. Scatter candy both under and over the ice cream, which surrounds it and keeps the skin drier.
- Popiah skins dry out within a minute uncovered and then crack as you roll them, so keep the stack under a damp cloth and work with one at a time.
Substitutions
- Crushed peanut brittle stands in for the planed candy block, since most people have no carpenter’s plane; crush it as finely as you can, because coarse chunks stay hard and gritty where fine shavings melt into the ice cream.
- Peanut ice cream or a mix stands in for taro, a starchy root cooked and sweetened into a pale purple mildly nutty ice cream that is very common across Taiwan.
Variations
- Fresh coriander with ice cream and sweet candy sounds unlikely but is genuinely part of the dish — it is fresh and slightly citrusy and cuts the sweetness. Vendors ask whether you want it, and it is genuinely optional there.
- Roll it firmly but not hard: the thin skin tears under pressure while a loose roll falls apart, and folding the sides in as you go seals the ends against melting ice cream.
- It cannot be made ahead at all and must be eaten within a minute or two, so make each roll to order.
History
A Yilan speciality; the vendor shaves a peanut-candy block with a plane before rolling it in popiah skin.
Frequently asked questions
What is Peanut Ice Cream Roll?
Peanut Ice Cream Roll is a street food from Taiwan: taro ice cream, planed peanut brittle and coriander wrapped in a thin crepe. A Yilan speciality; the vendor shaves a peanut-candy block with a plane before rolling it in popiah skin.
How long does Peanut Ice Cream Roll take to make?
Peanut Ice Cream Roll takes 20 minutes of preparation and no cooking at all. The recipe makes serves 4. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Peanut Ice Cream Roll?
Yes, within limits. Crushed peanut brittle stands in for the planed candy block, since most people have no carpenter’s plane; crush it as finely as you can, because coarse chunks stay hard and gritty where fine shavings melt into the ice cream. Peanut ice cream or a mix stands in for taro, a starchy root cooked and sweetened into a pale purple mildly nutty ice cream that is very common across Taiwan.
What is the most important thing to get right in Peanut Ice Cream Roll?
Crush it as finely as you can. Some people take it and some do not. Leave it out if you dislike it. Popiah skin is a very thin wheat crepe.
