Hoppers/SriLankan Egg and Cheese Coconut Crepes
It has been a strange start to the New Year. But, this recipe is something that I made. Hoppers are popular Sri Lankan street food. Very similar if not identical to the appams here. These are delicate lightly fermented rice flower crepes with crisp and lacy sides and a soft and spongy center. There are two kinds of hoppers, these crepe styled hoppers and thin fresh rice noodles called string hoppers. And of course topped with eggs they make a perfect breakfast. In my house it becomes topped with eggs and cheese. Truth be told some diced avocadoes are not a bad idea. But I digress.
It has naturally been cold. No surprises there. A good way to kick start your Hoppers or appams would be use the yogurt mode in your instant pot. In fact, I use this so much for fermenting things I actually had typed up ferment mode. But, since people already use yeast to work with their hoppers really any warm place will work.
Now what I find interesting when talking about Sri Lankan food is that while some of the population speak Tamil which is the language of Tamil Nadu but the food to me is a little closer to Kerala. But of course is its own thing.
Other Sri Lankan recipes on this blog include,
A few tips and tricks,
Fermentation:
Since we are using yeast instead palm toddy (the traditional fermentation agent) we need to get the mixture nice and frothy. This takes about 2 hours in the instant pot and 4 to 6 hours in a nice warm place. Gently stir in the coconut milk and ferment for another hour. Your goal is fruity, nutty, bubbly and slightly tangy batter.
Cooking: Traditionally the hoppers are made in a hopper pan, which is a shallow wok. I have actually used a regular wok, I did have a little trouble with the shape but generally was fine. You could probably get away using a flat pan, it just would not have its characteristic shape.
The runny egg in the center is what makes these magical and of course eggs and cheese are never a bad idea. And, in time for the weekend, it is cozy and satisfying comfort.
Egg Hoppers or Appa is a rice flour and coconut crepe, popular for breakfast in Sri Lanka
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons of instant yeast
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 cup water plus more water to mix
- 1 and 1/2 cups of rice flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 cup coconut milk
- Oil for cooking
- 4 eggs (1 per person)
- 1/2 cup grated cheese
- Chopped cilantro
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Warm 1/2 cup of water. I do this in the microwave for 30 seconds. It should be warm not hot.
- Stir in the sugar and the yeast and set this aside for about 5 minutes until the mixture is frothy.
- Wisk the rice flour and add in enough water to make a batter about the consistency of pancake batter.
- Stir in the yeast mixture. If using the instant pot, place the batter in the steel insert (note you can actually mix it directly in the insert)
- Set this on yogurt mode and let it rest for about 2 hours. At this point the mixture should smell nice and fruity and be bubbly.
- Stir in the coconut milk, this thins out the batter. Let this ferment for another hour. Please see the notes for stove top instructions.
- To make the hoppers, heat a wok well and gently grease it.
- Using the batter, gently swirl it around the wok. The result of this is that the sides are thinner and the center is spongy.
- Allow it to set just a little and crack an egg in the center. Let the egg cook on low to medium heat until just set.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of the cheese and allow it to melt. You do not want too much cheese as it will overwhelm the delicate nuanced taste of the batter.
- The total time would be about 10 minutes, allowing the hopper to crisp and brown at the bottom. Carefully remove the hopper and sprinkle with the cilantro and cheese before serving. Continue cooking all the hoppers in this manner.
Notes
Notes: To ferment the batter without an instant pot. Simply let it rest in a warm place. It will probably take a little longer depending on the temperature of the setting.