Hoppers(Aappa)

~Yet another famous delicacy on the Sri Lankan Breakfast menu~

Ingredients:Raw rice – 500g
1 slice of bread
Water of 1 coconut
Milk from 1 coconut
A pinch of sugar
15 g/1/2 oz fresh compressed yeast
or 1 teaspoon dried yeast
Sugar- a pinch
Salt- as desired


Method:Grind the raw rice into a powder. Add 200 g of wheat flour and mix. Soak the slice of bread in coconut water. Add that to the flour and mix well. Add 15 g/1/2 oz fresh compressed yeast
or 1 teaspoon dried yeast, sugar and salt and mix thoroughly. Then add this to the coconut milk and mix well. Keep it overnight for the mixture to rise.
Add a little coconut milk to this mixture and bring it to a semi liquid consistency( as that of pancake batter). Heat a nonstick hopper pan (Wok) on medium. When hot, rub the pan thoroughly with the oiled-cloth. Add about 1/4 cup of the batter to the pan and turn the pan in a circular motion so that the batter sticks to the sides of the pan.
Cover and cook for about a minute under low-medium heat. Use a butter knife to loosen the edges of the hopper and serve hot.


Tips to remember:• It is best to keep this pan solely for the purposes of making hoppers.
•If the batter does not stick to the pan when turning the pan, the pan is too hot. Reduce the heat.
•If the edges of the hopper are not crispy, add another tsp of sugar.
•If the hoppers are not thin enough add a little more lukewarm water.