Sri Lankan Tomato-Pepper Hoppers (Kimbula Roti-Adjacent)

About This Recipe

Hoppers, or appa, bowl-shaped pancakes made from a fermented rice flour and coconut milk batter, are one of Sri Lanka's most iconic breakfast and dinner foods, cooked in a small wok-shaped pan to develop their signature thin, lacy edges and soft, spongy center. This recipe keeps the classic hopper batter and technique intact, pairing the finished hoppers with a fresh tomato-pepper sambal spiked with black pepper and chile, a genuine and common Sri Lankan condiment rather than an invented pairing. The batter needs real fermentation time, at least 4-6 hours or overnight, using a touch of yeast or toddy in traditional versions, so the finished hoppers develop their characteristic tang and light, airy texture. Swirling the batter around the hot, oiled pan by tilting it in a circular motion is what creates the thin, crisp lace at the edges while the center stays thick and soft, sometimes with a cracked egg added directly into the middle for egg hoppers. The tomato-pepper sambal, made by simmering tomato with onion, chile and a generous hit of black pepper, is a common Sri Lankan side that cuts through the coconut richness of the hoppers.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 cupsrice flour
• 1 cupcoconut milk
• 1 cupwarm water
• 0.5 tspactive dry yeast
• 1 tbspsugar
• 0.5 tspfine sea salt
• 2 tbspneutral oil(for greasing the pan)
• 3tomatoes(finely chopped)
• 1onion(finely chopped)
• 1green chile(minced)
• 1 tspfreshly cracked black pepper
• 1 tbsplime juice

Instructions

1. 1

   Activate the yeast

   Dissolve yeast and sugar in the warm water and let sit 10 minutes until foamy.

2. 2

   Mix the batter

   Whisk together rice flour, salt, the yeast mixture and coconut milk into a smooth, thin, pourable batter, similar to a crepe batter.

3. 3

   Ferment

   Cover and let the batter rest at room temperature 4-6 hours, or overnight in the fridge, until slightly bubbly.

4. 4

   Make the sambal

   Combine chopped tomato, onion, green chile, black pepper, lime juice and a pinch of salt. Let sit 15 minutes for the flavors to meld.

5. 5

   Cook the hoppers

   Heat a small, rounded hopper pan or wok over medium heat and brush lightly with oil. Pour in a ladle of batter and immediately swirl the pan in a circular motion to coat the sides thinly.

6. 6

   Steam-cook covered

   Cover with a lid and cook 2-3 minutes until the edges are lacy and golden and the center is set and spongy.

7. 7

   Serve

   Gently loosen with a spatula and serve warm with the tomato-pepper sambal.

Variations

• •

  Egg hoppers: crack an egg directly into the center of the batter after swirling, cover, and cook until the white is set but the yolk stays runny.

• •

  Sweet hoppers: skip the sambal and serve with a drizzle of treacle (kithul palm syrup) and grated coconut instead.

• •

  No rounded pan: use a regular nonstick skillet for flatter, crepe-like hoppers if a hopper pan isn't available.

Storage

Hoppers are best eaten fresh and warm, as they lose their crisp edges quickly. The sambal keeps refrigerated up to 3 days; the fermented batter can be refrigerated up to 2 days before cooking.

Frequently Asked Questions