Sri Lanka Hoppers (Appa/appam)

INGREDIENTS 


1 cup long grain rice or Sri Lankan white rice
(if available)
1 1/2 cups wheat flour
2 tbsp sugar
2 cups milk (dairy or coconut milk)
salt to taste
a non stick hopper pan or a small wok with a rounded bottom
1/2 tsp of sodium bi carbonate (appa soda)




METHOD

Soak the rice for about 6 hours or overnight and grind in a blender with about 1 1/2 cups of water until ground to a paste.( Very slight coarseness in texture is fine) Now mix the sugar and wheat flour with the ground rice flour until you have a lump free mixture. Add more water until you have a very thick batter.(be careful not to add too much water) Leave to ferment for 8 hours in warm place. (The batter does not rise but you will notice tiny bubbles when fermented) Do not leave more than 12 hours. Now add the sodium bicarbonate and salt to the batter and the milk in small quantities until you have batter the consistency of a pan cake batter. Add more milk if necessary and mix well but not too vigorously. Grease the hopper pan lightly and heat the pan on a medium flame. Do not allow the pan to get overheated but you should feel the heat when you hold your palm above the pan. Pour in a ladle of batter and swirl in one quick turn until the pan is coated and the balance batter runs into the middle. Cover the pan. Leave for 5 - 7 minutes or until you have a golden edge. (Do not open the lid until the hopper is ready or the edges tend to collapse ) Carefully loosen the edge and the hopper will easily slide out. For an egg hopper, break in an egg in to the hopper as soon as you have swirled the batter. Leave for five minutes longer on a lower heat until egg is done and remove as earlier. Serve with seeni sambol or curry or even eat it plain with butter. This is the best hopper recipe I have ever tried because the hoppers turn out crisp and perfect. You will enjoy it. Bon apetite.