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Sri Lankan Hoppers / ආප්ප

5 from 1 vote
Easy fool-proof crispy hoppers with a generous ratio of coconut milk to rice flour that makes them more delicious.
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Prep Time:20 minutes
Cook Time:40 minutes
Proofing time:10 hours
Total Time:11 hours
Servings: 5 people

Equipment

  • Hopper pans

Ingredients

  • 3 cups rice flour
  • 1/2 cup all purpose wheat flour or gluten free flour blend
  • 1/4 tsp yeast
  • 5 tsp sugar (use 3 first and 2 later)
  • 1/2 tsp salt or more to taste
  • 3 cups warm water (plus a couple tablespoons if needed)
  • 1 can coconut milk

Instructions

  • Warm 2 cups of water in a jar (warm not hot), add 3 tsp of sugar and 1/4 tsp of yeast. Give it it a good stir to dissolve the yeast and sugar. Cover and set aside for 5 minutes for the yeast to activate and get slightly foamy on top.
  • In a large bowl add rice flour and all purpose flour together. Add the water, sugar, yeast mixture from the previous step to the flour. Mix and add another cup of warm water as well. Stir till it becomes a smooth thick pancake-like batter, squash any lumps remaining with a spoon. If it's very lumpy use a whisk.
  • Cover the bowl with a damp paper towel or cloth. Set your oven to the proofing setting. If it doesn't have a proofing setting, warm up your oven to 200°C then turn off your oven. Place the bowl in the oven for about 10 hours.
  • When you take the bowl out it's best if the mixture seems to have risen and then collapsed somewhat. See video for a visual of what that looks like.
  • Warm-up the can of coconut milk in some hot water so the milk is nice and liquid. Add the coconut milk to the risen hopper mixture. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons of sugar and the salt. The sugar makes the edges brown and crisp up more. (After you taste your first cooked hopper you may need to add more salt depending on how you like it.) Stir well. Set aside for about 20 minutes.
  • The consistency of the batter should be pretty liquid - similar to making crepes. After tasting your first cooked hopper if the crispy edges are a little too thick for your liking - you can thin out the batter with 1 to 2 tablespoons more of water.
  • Warm up the hopper pan. Grease it with some coconut oil. (Watch the video on making a handy little pan-greasing bundle out of a piece of paper towel)
  • Pour in roughly 1/4 cup or less of hopper mixture depending on your hopper-pan size and how much of a spongy middle vs. crispy brown sides you prefer on your hoppers.
  • Cook covered. When the edges are brownish and crispy-looking - the hopper is done. Serve warm.