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John Torode's Sri Lankan Hoppers

01 Jan 2020 Jules Verne
Hoppers

Take a trip to sunnier climes and join John Torode on the beautiful Sri Lankan coast to cook up a locally-inspired dish. Watch now >>

INGREDIENTS

For the hoppers

For the Seeni Sambol

For the Pol Sambol

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. To make the hoppers, place 50g plain flour and the rice flour in a large bowl. Gradually mix in enough water to make a thick paste. Cover the bowl and leave out of the fridge overnight to ferment.

  2. To make the Seeni Sambol, heat the oil in a large frying pan or wok. Add the onions, chilli powder, curry leaves, pandan leaves, cinnamon, cloves and cardamom and cook until the onions are softened and beginning to caramelise.

  3. Add the tamarind pulp and sugar then cook for another couple of minutes before seasoning with salt.

  4. To make the Pol Sambol, grind together the chilli, sugar and salt then add the shallots and carry on grinding to a paste.

  5. Add the lime juice then stir into the coconut.

  6. Add the baking powder, egg and 50g plain flour to the fermented hopper mix, then gradually stir in enough coconut milk to make a batter, similar to the consistency of pancake batter.

  7. Heat a hopper pan, or small wok (about 15cm diameter at the top). Once very hot, ladle in some of the hopper mixture, swirling the pan to coat the sides first and then over the base of the pan. Cook for a minute or so, then cover with a lid and cook for another couple of minutes. If you want to add an egg, crack the egg into the pan before putting the lid on top, and cook until the egg is firm.