For people reading you’re probably thinking one of two things…
1/ what is a hopper?
or
2/ THAT is not a hopper!
To answer Number 1/ A hopper is a cup shaped rice flour pancake basically. There a few different types, (string, egg, plain…) A staple from Sri Lanka quite often eaten for breakfast. Nothing tastier than dipping a freshly cooked hopper into some curry with attitude.
- hoppers photo from ‘lanka.com’
In answer to Number 2/ I don’t have a hopper pan, or anything remotely like it. Which is why my little hoppers look like plain old pancakes. If you had a deep enough wok, it would work just as well, (I have a flat bottomed one.) A traditional hopper pan is like a mini wok, and I am on the look out, yes I am…
This recipe is my take on the delicious hopper. So maybe not traditionally correct, but they still work.
I even got my mum’s vote of approval.
Sourdough Hoppers
1 cup sourdough starter
1 cup rice flour
1 tps salt
1 cup coconut milk/ or coconut cream
1/2 cup water
Add all ingredients together, and let sit for approximately 5 hours. Mixture is a like a pancake consistency, and should be bubbling away happily, when the time is up and they are ready to cook. Pop some of the mixture into the pan, if you are doing it in a rounded pan, let the edges get a little crispy and then popping a lid over the top to enable the steam to cook the inside. (The middle part will be thicker.) For egg hoppers, drop an egg into the middle, just before the lid goes on to steam.
Serve with a great curry, ripping off bits of the hopper and dunking it in.
Or, easy thing to have on Frugal Friday. Make the batch up in the morning, forget about it, then they will ready to cook up by dinner. Serve with some lightly cooked vegetables in some vegetable oil, garam masala, salt and pepper…and maybe a dollop of natural yoghurt on the side.
cityhippyfarmgirl 
Brydie, yum! I want that for breakfast right now! Clever use of the sourdough too… 🙂
Have you ever been to Janani in Homebush? Little Sri Lankan place, does wonderful string hoppers…
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Haven’t been to Janani, will have to look out for it though. Used to go to a place in Newtown, but they upped the prices too much.
…and you know I love my sourdough 😉
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Yum 🙂 Confess to never knowing about a hopper or hoppers…., but I sure could imagine tucking into to one (make that some) especially with the mopping up curry business. Oh yeah 😉
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It doesn’t get much better than a little mopping up of a great curry Anna!
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Would that be the same as a dosa (not sure of spelling)? I have had them in India and Hong Kong – delicious. They look the same. Thanks for the recipe. I would love to try this.
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Debra they are similar, sort of. Especially the way i’ve presented them. Dosa’s use urad dal and rice that gets soaked overnight though, I think the hoppers are a bit more straight forward and using rice flour instead. Eaten the same way as a dosa though.
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I’ve never heard of these, but they look great, thanks!
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easy to make and something a bit different 🙂
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I am very impressed that you made hoppers…and using sourdough too!
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I tried to find a traditional recipe but to no avail. (before commercial yeast was used anyway.)
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I’ve never heard of these – I’m going to make them- and by the way- YUM!!!
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Hope you like them Heidi!
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I was in the no 1 category, but now that I’m enlightened, I will be making hoppers – they sound really good. Have just made my annual batch of chilli sauce, so curry seems like a particularly good idea.
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Let me know what you think of them if you make them…and if you can get hold a hopper pan even better!
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You are quite the little chef aren’t you! I have never heard of a hopper before so thanks for the Sat morning lesson 🙂
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You’re welcome 🙂
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Ok..didn’t know what a hopper was. but now I do and thanks for the recipe…they look great!…and so does your new theme…love it!
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Thanks Yvette, header needed a change.
Hoppers are a great little accompaniment to a meal.
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I’ve seen the name hopper, rings a bell, but they look really nifty, are they called hoppers because they hop out of the pan and into the tum? I love dosas, and have studied several Youtube videos, but every time I try them they end in DISASTER… maybe hoppers would be a good ‘jumping’ off point. Anyway, a lovely post again from you x Joanna
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Joanna I haven’t made dosas before, they always seem a bit too complicated so hoppers would be a much easier substitute.
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Hmm, I do like the sound of these hoppers! Anything that involves ripping off chunks and dipping into curry – I’m there! Yours look mighty tasty 🙂
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An evening of ripping and dunking is quite appealing isn’t it!
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Brydie
Brilliant especially using sourdough starter instead of yeast.
Even us native hopper eaters from Sri Lanka have become lazy and use a packaged hopper mix! My 80 year old Mum still does it the traditional way making her own mix. Curry Leaf at Seven HIlls have a good offering of traditional hoppers and egg hoppers (just break an egg into the hopper while it’s cooking) with curries and a variety of sambols. You can probably find a pan in a Sri Lankan grocery store. Well done and thanks for the inspiration.
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I wonder if your mum would approve of my hoppers? I am definitely on the look out for a hopper pan, will see what I can find.
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MMMM yum looks good!
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They are pretty good Katie 🙂
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Mmmm…looks good (and what gorgeous photos!)
Thanks for your comment on my blog! I’m just a beginner at crochet, too–I learned this year. Fumbling my way through, but enjoying it.
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Thanks Lise. I have fun with the photos, (most of the time…)
Crochet, I have a long way too go!
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Wow – how come I’ve never heard of these? They sound wonderful – and I just got a Wondermill, so I can grind my own rice flour – do you think they’d be better with brown rice flour?
Many thanks, I’ll be making these on first opportunity.
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I’m not sure that many people would have unless you are around Sri Lankan cuisine. A close kept secret, lucky people!
I think it was on Zeb Bakes I read that you were grinding your own flours, I’m impressed. That would be wonderful to be able to do that.
Regarding the brown rice flour…I don’t know. It should be fine, just giving a slightly nuttier flavour….actually just pondering here, I’m sure it would be delicious.
Let me know if you do make them.
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Kind of like a dosa?
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Very similar Jemas, but a bit easy to make.
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Hi,
I’m new to your blog but my brother in law also makes hoppers using yeast. He lives interstate but I think he managed to get his hopper pans from a store in Brisbane, good luck with your ongoing search for them!
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