Globecooking recipe : Egg Hoppers (Sri Lanka)

Hoppers are Sri Lankan pancakes made from a fermented batter that can be topped with a vast array of sweet or savoury toppings. Traditionally, they are made in a curved pan and you swill the batter around the pan so that it covers the bottom and the sides, creating a bowl-shapped pancake for the filling. I used a small frying pan and they still worked fine, although they came out a bit flat.

 I served these with Kadai Chicken (or you could make Kadai Tofu for a veggie option) - click through for the recipe.

Egg Hoppers

ingredients :

100g rice flour (I think normal flour would work too)

25cl coconut milk (+ coconut water if needed)

1tsp dried yeast

1tsp sugar

50ml warm water

1 egg per person (the batter should make enough for 3 or 4 hoppers)

a drizzle of oil

pinch of salt

Put the dried yeast in a little bowl with the sugar and warm water. Stir and leave for 10 minutes at room temperature.

Now, I've used coconut milk many times before, and it's usually more liquid than this can, which was totally solid. I therefore added a glug of coconut water to get the required consistency (like pancake batter).

Stir the coconut milk into the rice flour.

Add a little coconut water to create a smooth batter if needed. Stir in the yeast mixture and a pinch of salt. Leave to stand for 30 minutes.

Heat a drizzle of oil in a small frying pan or wok then pour in a ladleful of batter. Pour it around the sides to create a bowl-shaped pancake

Cook for one minute then crack in an egg. Again, tilt the pan so that the egg white covers the whole surface.

Cook for a few minutes until the white is set and the yolk remains runny. Carefully slide onto a plate with a flish slice.

The recipe from the Sri Lankan-themed Kitchen Trotter box mentioned that it is the egg that holds the hopper together. I had enough left over for an extra hopper after cooking our meal so I made an extra one without an egg. It was impossible to get out of the pan though, as you can see on the right !

*** Don't miss my country-by-country globecooking recipe index ! ***

If you fancy trying some more Sri Lankan cuisine, how about Kadai Chicken or Crispy Medu Vada-style Lentil Fritters ?