Egg hoppers
බිත්තර ආප්ප
Bowl-shaped fermented rice and coconut pancakes with lacy crisp edges and an egg cooked into the soft centre.
Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: බිත්තර ආප්ප.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Rest
- 4 hr
- Total
- 4 hr 55 min
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spice
- No chilli
- Cost
- Cheap nightUnder $8 USD · indicative, not a store price
About
A hopper, or appa, is a thin pancake of fermented rice flour and coconut milk batter swirled around a small round-bottomed pan so the edges go lacy and crisp while the middle stays soft and spongy. Crack an egg into the centre, cover, and it steams in the pan with the pancake. The batter needs a few hours to rise with yeast, longer if you let it ferment naturally. A proper hopper pan is a small deep wok with a lid; a 20 cm non-stick wok or a small deep frying pan gets close. Serve with lunu miris or pol sambol and a curry.
What you'll need
9 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.
Ingredients
- Rice flour, fine white rice flour300 g
- Coconut milk, full fat, from a tin400 ml
- Water, lukewarm, plus more to thin250 ml
- Yeast, instant dried4.9 ml
- Sugar15 ml
- Salt4.9 ml
- Egg, one per hopper10
- Neutral oil, for wiping the pan30 ml
- Black pepper, to finish the eggs2½ ml
Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.
Steps
Step 1
Whisk the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm water and leave 10 minutes until frothy. Whisk in the rice flour and 300 ml of the coconut milk to a smooth batter the thickness of double cream. Cover and leave somewhere warm 3 to 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge, until bubbly and smelling slightly sour.
15 min
Step 2
Stir in the salt and the remaining coconut milk. The batter should now be like thin pouring cream. Add water a spoon at a time if it is thicker than that.
3 min
Tip: Thin batter makes lacy edges. Thick batter makes a dumpling.
Step 3
Heat a small wok or hopper pan over medium-high until a drop of water skips. Wipe with an oiled cloth. Pour in a ladle of batter, about 80 ml, lift the pan and swirl so it climbs the sides in a thin layer and pools slightly at the bottom.
1 min
Step 4
Crack an egg into the centre. Cover with a lid and cook 3 to 4 minutes until the edges are golden and crisp, the base is set and the egg white is cooked with the yolk still soft.
4 min
Watch: Do not try to flip it. The lid does the top.
Step 5
Loosen the edge with a thin spatula and slide the hopper out. Season the egg with salt and pepper. Repeat, wiping the pan with oil between hoppers. Serve warm with sambol.
Nutrition
Per serving · estimate
- Calories
- 225 kcal
- Protein
- 8.4 g
- Carbs
- 11.8 g
- Fat
- 16.5 g
- Saturated fat
- 9.5 g
- Fibre
- 1.1 g
- Sugar
- 3.1 g
- Sodium
- 312 mg
Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.
Allergens
Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.
- Eggs
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Nut-free
Adapt this recipe
The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.
Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 12 November.
Substitutions
Tinned coconut milk → Fresh pressed coconut milk
Lighter and more fragrant. Use the thick first pressing for the batter.
Tips
- The first hopper is always a test. Adjust the heat and batter thickness from it.
- Plain hoppers from the same batter take 2 minutes with no egg. Make a few of each.
- The batter keeps two days in the fridge and gets more sour, which many people prefer.
History & culture
Hoppers are breakfast and dinner food in Sri Lanka, made at roadside stalls in the evening and eaten by hand, the egg one being the prize of the batch. A hopper breakfast with sambol and a dhal is a weekend ritual. Jaffna, Colombo and the hill country all make them slightly differently.
Appam is shared with Kerala and Tamil Nadu across the strait and goes back centuries, with the batter once raised by palm toddy rather than yeast. Hoppers appear in colonial-era Ceylon accounts as a Sunday breakfast staple. The egg version is probably a 20th-century stall innovation.
Traditional — Yeast replaces the toddy that once leavened the batter, which is now standard practice in Sri Lankan homes. A dedicated hopper pan gives the right shape; a small wok is the nearest substitute.
Provenance: Editorial adaptation.
Questions about this recipe
Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.
How long does Egg hoppers take?
4 hr 55 min all in — 15 min prep, 40 min cook, 4 hr rest. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.
How many does it serve?
The recipe is written for 10 pieces. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.
How hard is it?
Medium.
How spicy is it?
No chilli.
What allergens should I watch?
This recipe is labelled for Eggs. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.
Does it fit a diet?
The published recipe is labelled Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Nut-free.
9 more questionsFewer questions
What does it cost to cook?
Cheap night — about Under $8 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.
What equipment do I need?
Wok, Mixing bowl.
How much salt do I put in?
The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.
How much sugar?
1 tbsp of Sugar.
What can I use instead?
Tinned coconut milk → Fresh pressed coconut milk. Lighter and more fragrant. Use the thick first pressing for the batter.
What should I watch for?
Do not try to flip it. The lid does the top.
Any tips from this recipe?
The first hopper is always a test. Adjust the heat and batter thickness from it. Plain hoppers from the same batter take 2 minutes with no egg. Make a few of each. The batter keeps two days in the fridge and gets more sour, which many people prefer.
Can I prepare this ahead?
Whisk the yeast and sugar into the lukewarm water and leave 10 minutes until frothy. Whisk in the rice flour and 300 ml of the coconut milk to a smooth batter the thickness of double cream. Cover and leave somewhere warm 3 to 4 hours, or overnight in the fridge, until bubbly and smelling slightly sour.
Can I use an air fryer?
This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.
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