Lacy Egg Hoppers with Fiery Coconut Sambol

⏱ 600 min · Serves 4

Bowl-shaped rice-and-coconut pancakes with crisp golden edges and a soft egg cradled in the middle — the Sri Lankan breakfast worth setting an alarm for. Served with a pounded coconut sambol that's hot, sour and salty all at once. The batter needs an overnight ferment, but the cooking is fast and hugely satisfying.

Per serving: 585 kcal · 15.0g protein · 62.0g carbs · 31.0g fat

Ingredients

• 250g rice flour
• 3 tbsp cooked rice (or 2 tbsp semolina)
• 400ml tin full-fat coconut milk
• 150ml warm water, plus more to loosen
• 1 tsp fast-action dried yeast
• 1 tsp caster sugar
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• 4 large eggs
• 1 tbsp coconut oil, for the pan
• For the coconut sambol (pol sambol):
• 150g freshly grated coconut (or 100g desiccated coconut soaked in 80ml warm water)
• 2 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder, plus 1/2 tsp hot chilli flakes
• 1 small red onion, very finely chopped
• 1 tsp Maldive fish flakes or 1/2 tsp shrimp paste (optional)
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 small green chilli, finely chopped
• 6 curry leaves, shredded (optional)

Method

1. Whisk the yeast and sugar into the warm water and leave 10 minutes until foamy.
2. Blend the cooked rice with 100ml of the coconut milk until smooth. Tip into a large bowl with the rice flour, the yeast mixture and the rest of the coconut milk. Whisk to a smooth batter the consistency of single cream.
3. Cover and leave at warm room temperature for 8 hours or overnight, until bubbly and smelling faintly sour.
4. For the sambol, pound the coconut, chilli powder, chilli flakes, onion, green chilli, curry leaves, Maldive fish (if using) and salt in a mortar or pulse briefly in a processor until reddish and slightly moist. Stir in the lime juice, taste and adjust salt and lime. Set aside.
5. Stir the salt and bicarbonate of soda into the risen batter and loosen with a splash of water if it has thickened — it should coat a spoon thinly.
6. Heat a small deep wok or hopper pan over medium-high heat and wipe with coconut oil. Pour in a small ladle (about 80ml) of batter, immediately lift the pan and swirl so the batter climbs the sides in a thin lace, leaving a thicker pool in the base.
7. Crack an egg into the centre, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper, cover and cook 3-4 minutes until the edges are crisp and golden and the white is just set with a runny yolk.
8. Slide out with a thin spatula and repeat for the remaining hoppers, oiling the pan lightly each time.
9. Serve hot, one hopper per person, with a generous mound of coconut sambol alongside.