Although eaten throughout Sri Lanka, this is the one recipe nobody can agree on. I like to add eggwhites as I feel they add to the crispness. The best breakfast hopper is made by cracking an egg into the centre just before steaming the hopper (as pictured).
Ingredients
Method
Main
1.Place coconut cream, yeast and sugar ina bowl, stir to combine and stand in a warm place until mixture is risen and frothy (45 minutes). Sift rice flour into yeast mixture and whisk until a smooth batter forms. You may need to add 1-1½ cups water to achieve a good pouring consistency. Cover bowl with a damp tea towel and stand in a warm place for 3-4 hours or until the batter mixture has doubled in size. The standing time will vary considerably depending on the room temperature – the warmer the better. Remember it’s nearly always 30C and 90 per cent humidity in Sri Lanka. Just before cooking, lightly beat eggwhites with a fork until foamy, then stir into coconut mixture with 1 tsp salt.
2.Heat a small (about 10cm) non-stick frying pan over high heat, wipe pan lightly with oil, then pour in 60ml of mixture. Swirl mixture to coat sides of pan, leaving a small pool in the centre. Cover pan with a lid and steam until centre is firm and sides are golden and crisp (2-3 minutes). Remove from pan, keep warm and repeat until all batter has been used.
Fresh yeast is available from select health-food shops. If unavailable, substitute 10gm dried yeast. This recipe is from
by Peter Kuruvita (Murdoch Books, $59.95, hbk). In editing these recipes for publication, we have made minor changes to bring them into
style.
Notes
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