Sri Lankan Hoppers (Fermented Rice Bowl Pancakes with Egg)

About This Recipe

Sri Lankan Hoppers is a real, traditional Sri Lankan dish, known as Fermented Rice Bowl Pancakes with Egg. Bowl-shaped, lacy-edged fermented rice and coconut milk pancakes with a soft, spongy center, often topped with a cracked egg.\n\nHoppers, known locally as appa, are made from a fermented batter of rice flour and coconut milk cooked in a small wok-like pan, a technique with roots across South India and Sri Lanka refined over generations into the country's iconic bowl-shaped breakfast bread.\n\nThe result is a dish worth making on its own merits: it rewards patience with the technique and delivers real, specific flavor rooted in Sri Lankan home cooking, not a generic stand-in for a search term.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 300 grice flour
• 1 tspinstant yeast
• 1 tbspsugar
• 400 mlcoconut milk
• 200 mlwarm water
• 1 tspfine sea salt
• 6eggs
• 2 tbspneutral oil, for the pan

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the batter

   Whisk rice flour, yeast, sugar, coconut milk, warm water and salt into a smooth, thin batter.

2. 2

   Ferment

   Cover and let the batter ferment in a warm spot for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight, until bubbly and slightly risen.

3. 3

   Heat the pan

   Heat a small, deep, rounded hopper pan or wok over medium heat and lightly oil it.

4. 4

   Swirl the batter

   Pour a ladle of batter into the hot pan and quickly swirl it up the sides to coat, leaving a pool in the center.

5. 5

   Add the egg

   Crack an egg into the center pool, cover with a lid, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until the edges are lacy and golden and the egg is set to your liking.

6. 6

   Serve

   Carefully remove the hopper with a spatula, keeping its bowl shape intact, and serve hot with sambol or curry.

Variations

• •

  A plain hopper without egg is common for a simpler breakfast.

• •

  A sweet version, egg hoppers finished with a bit of jaggery, is popular for dessert-style hoppers.

• •

  Serve with lunu miris (onion sambol) and dhal curry for a traditional Sri Lankan breakfast spread.

Storage

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of water or stock to loosen the texture.

Frequently Asked Questions