The Best Hoppers With Homemade Rice Flour

Learn to Make Hoppers (Appa, Appam) with Homemade Rice Flour! Hoppers (Appa, ආප්ප, Appam) are a very popular breakfast dish and street food in Sri Lanka. Discover how to make the best hoppers with this tried and tested recipe with homemade rice flour.

What are Hoppers?

Hoppers (English), Appa (Sinhalese), Appam (Tamil)

In Sri Lanka, hoppers are called Appa (pronounced “arp-peh”) in Sinhalese. It is said that the word Appa derives from the Tamil word appam (pronounced “arp-pem”). Hoppers are called Appam in some parts of South India like Kerala and Tamil Nadu.

Hoppers are bowl-shaped pancakes. They have crispy edges and soft spongy centers. They are made with a fermented batter of rice flour and coconut milk. The hopper batter is cooked in small mini wok-like pans. Hoppers get their bow shape from the small pans in which they are cooked.

About this Recipe

You can make the batter with homemade rice flour or with store-bought rice flour.

Homemade rice flour is made by grinding soaked raw rice in a powerful grinder. It is slightly coarser than store-bought fine rice flour. You will need a powerful grinder to grind the soaked rice into a powder.

How to make rice flour at home

You can easily make rice flour at home with raw rice using a grinder.

I usually use Thai white rice (not Jasmine Rice) which is good for making rice flour. You will need a powerful blender or grinder to grind rice into a powder. You can use any quantity of rice. Do it in batches to avoid overloading.

After making the rice flour, store it in an airtight container. You can refrigerate or freeze rice flour. I usually store homemade ground rice in the refrigerator. I assume that it will go bad more quickly than store-bought rice flour. If homemade rice flour is properly dried before storing, it should stay good for a few months fresh.

You Will Need a Hopper Pan

Hoppers are traditionally cooked in a small wok-like pan known as Hopper Pan. The hopper pan ensures the batter collects in the center. After tilting it to lace the sides, it creates a fluffy soft center with crispy lacy edges.

If you use a non-stick pan, do not grease it with oil. Greasing it will prevent the batter from sticking to the pan. It is ok to grease lightly with a bit of oil. Make sure you wipe it off well before pouring the batter. And keep the pan solely for making hoppers.

Ingredients

• Raw Rice: Use long-grain white rice. Do not use glutinous rice. I usually use Thai white rice.
• Water: You will need water for soaking rice and then later for making the batter. I usually use water to make the batter. You can also use thin coconut milk instead of water to make the batter. After fermentation, I use thick coconut milk to thin the batter.
• Active Dry Yeast or Instant Yeast: These two types of yeasts can be used interchangeably in recipes. If you use instant yeast, just mix it in with the rice flour. If you use active dry yeast, follow the directions on the yeast packet. You need to activate dry yeast by dissolving it in water before using it.
• Coconut milk: Coconut milk gives hoppers an amazing milky taste, nice flavor, and crispiness. Hoppers are traditionally made with freshly squeezed coconut milk. I used canned coconut milk as freshly squeezed coconut milk is not accessible to me. You can also use coconut milk powder after dissolving it in water as needed.
• Sugar: Sugar helps to get golden-laced hoppers. It gives a bit of sweetness. It also helps in the fermentation process.
• Baking Soda; Baking soda can help create crispy hoppers, improve browning, and lighten the texture.
• Salt: Salt is used as a seasoning to enhance the taste of hoppers.

Useful Tips For Making The Best Hoppers

The Batter

• You need to make your batter with the right consistency. Otherwise, you will find difficulties in making nicely crispy hoppers in the end.
• The right pouring consistency is slightly thicker than milk. So, after fermentation, thin the batter with thick coconut milk and adjust the thickness.
• If your batter is watery, the batter will get scattered in the pan. If it is too thick, it will not spread thinly as you want.
• You can keep the batter in the fridge for a few days. Make sure to bring it to room temperature before you make hoppers.

Need a good fermentation

• If the batter is not fully fermented, you can’t handle the batter as you want.
• It will become fragile and it will not stick to the pan and keep its shape when cooking.
• So, make sure to ferment your batter until it is nicely frothy, and smells fermented.

How Long Should It Be Set Aside For Fermention?

• It depends on your location. So make sure to check the batter with your own eyes.
• Fermentation is a tricky process and depends on the environment and the amount of yeast etc.
• Warm temperatures between 25 to 30 C are ideal for fermentation.
• The time needed for good fermentation will be different between 4 to 8 hours (just a rough guide).
• In places with a warmer climate, it would ferment within 4 hours.
• If the temperature is higher, the batter will turn sour.
• The batter would also turn sour if we allow it to ferment for a longer time.
• So you need to move it to the refrigerator before it turns too sour.
• Just make sure you bring it to room temperature before you start making the hoppers.

Cooking

• Your Hopper Pan should be hot but not too hot. Make sure that the pan is hot before you add the batter.
• If the pan is not hot enough, the batter will not stick to the pan.
• On the other hand, if your pan is too hot, the batter also does not stick to the pan.
• Ladle the batter into the hopper pan. Tilt it and swirl the batter around so it coats the whole pan. Cover the pan with a lid after you spread the batter.
• When you put the lid on, it helps in forming the hot steam inside. The steam creates a spongy texture in the middle as it cooks.

Serving Suggestions

Hoppers are commonly served for breakfast or dinner. They are accompanied by spicy condiments (Lunu Miris, Katta Sambol, Seeni Sambol, Pol Sambol). They are also served with various curries and gravies (fish or meat).

Lunu Miris (Chili Condiment)
Seeni Sambol (Onion Relish)
Pol Sambol (Coconut Relish)
Pol Sambol (With Desiccated Coconut)
Pol Sambol Thel Dala (Stir-Fried Coconut Sambol)
Spicy Chicken Curry
Coconut Milk Egg Curry
Chicken Curry with Coconut Milk
Spicy Tuna Fish Curry

You can also serve them either sweet or savory. Use less exotic accompaniments like sugar, honey, jam, chocolate, fresh fruit, cheese, chili paste, savory sauce, bacon, and sausages.

More Hopper Recipes to Try

How to make perfect Hoppers with ground rice batter?

This is my go-to recipe. You can make hoppers by grinding soaked rice directly into a batter with water using a powerful grinder.

How to make Hoppers with store-bought rice flour?

Well, if you don’t have a powerful grinder, you can make the batter the easy way with store-bought rice flour.

How to Make Egg Hoppers (Biththara Appa)?

Egg Hoppers are plain hoppers with an egg cooked in the middle.

How to make hoppers in a frying pan?

If you don’t have a hopper pan, you can make hoppers in a small non-stick frying pan. Making hoppers in a flat pan is just as same as making crepes.

How to make String Hoppers (Indiappa)?

Indiappa (String Hoppers) is a very popular Sri Lankan breakfast dish. Everyone loves it. It is typically served with curries and pol sambol (spicy coconut condiment).

Best Hoppers (With Homemade Rice Flour) Step-by-Step Recipe

For Making Rice Flour

Prep Time 10 mins
Soaking and drying 3 hrs
Grinding & Sifting 20 min

For Making Rice Flour

Prep Time 10 min
Resting 6 to 8 hrs
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings 6

Tools needed

• Grinder
• Fine-mesh Strainer
• Cotton towels or Paper towels
• Sifter
• Hopper pan

Ingredients

For Making Rice Flour

• 250g Thai white rice, raw
• Water for soaking

For Making Hoppers

150 g homemade rice flour
50 g coarse semolina flour (or rice flour)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar, divided
1 teaspoon yeast
200 ml water or thin coconut milk (adjust as needed)
150 ml thick coconut milk (adjust as needed)
1/8 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon warm water

Make the Rice Flour

Take the required quantity of rice you will need. I used 250g of Thai white rice.

Rinse the rice thoroughly in water a couple of times. Put the rice into a bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 2 hours. Soaking helps the rice grains to grind well.

Once done, drain the water completely using a metal strainer.  

Spread the soaked rice on a clean towel. You can also use a few layers of paper towels. Let it dry for 30 minutes or so in the shade. Do not dry in the sun. The towel should absorb all the water. The rice should be slightly dry but not wet or completely dry.

Grind the rice into a fine powder using a powerful grinder. Do it in batches to avoid overloading.

Repeat this process until all the rice has been finely ground.

Take the rice flour in a sieve and then sift it. After sieving you will see some rice grains in the sieve. Return them to the grinder jar, grind, and sift again. Repeat this process to gain rice flour as much as you can. Or you can use rice grains to make any recipe that calls for rice rava or coarsely ground rice.

Now spread the rice flour on the plate and let it dry for some more time till it’s completely dry. Test for dryness by taking a pinch between your fingers. Properly dried flour will not stick together. Store refrigerated in an airtight container… or get cookin’… because now you have rice flour for making the best hoppers.  

Make the Hoppers

Here are the ingredients you will need for making hoppers; rice flour, semolina, sugar, salt, milk, water, and yeast. (water is not in the photo). You can use rice flour instead of semolina.

Place the rice flour, semolina, 1 teaspoon of sugar, salt, and yeast in a large bowl and mix well.

Add water a little at a time and mix well until you have a smooth batter without any lumps.

Cover and leave to rise for about 6 to 8 hours in a warm place (if cold environment).

After good fermentation, the batter will be frothy, bubbly, and smell fermented.

Add the coconut milk a little at a time to make the batter thin. Then gently stir until you have a smooth batter without any lumps. Add the rest of the sugar and mix.

Dissolve the baking soda in a tablespoon of water. Add to the batter and mix well. Don’t forget to add salt to taste if needed. Rest the batter for about 30 minutes in a warm place.

You will see a lot of tiny bubbles in the batter after resting time. The bubbly and creamy texture is the key to the best hopper batter. You can use the batter immediately to make hoppers or keep it in the fridge for later use.

Heat the pan over medium-high until it becomes hot. Pour a ladleful of the batter into the center of the pan. You will know the temperature is right when the batter makes the sizzle as it goes in.

Hold both handles of the pan then rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly and thinly. Swirl once (or twice) in a circular motion in the same direction to the top edge of the pan. It should stick around the edge of the pan as a thin layer.

The hopper batter around the edge should be thin. It should be dotted with little lazy holes. There should be a thicker layer in the center.

Cover and cook for about 2 minutes over medium heat. The edges of the pancake should start to brown. The center is no longer runny. Adjust the heat as needed.

Remove the lid. If you want a crisp edge, turn up the heat and cook for a few seconds more. The center of the appa should be puffed and soft.

Run around the edges with a palette knife or spatula and ease onto a plate.

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