Hoppers

Hoppers, or appam, are the breakfast Sri Lankans dream about, lacy-edged rice bowls that cook in minutes on a special curved pan. The batter of rice flour and coconut milk is left to ferment overnight, the same trick Tamil kitchens have used for centuries. Street vendors flip them out before sunrise, and home cooks make big stacks for Sunday breakfast. The gentle sourness of a well-fermented batter is half the charm, and a pinch of sugar in the mix helps the yeast along.

Lacy edges, cloud-soft centers

The trick is the pan and the heat, the batter crawls up the curved sides into crisp, honeycombed lace while the center stays soft and spongy. Eat them plain with a pinch of salt, or with lunu miris, dhal curry, or a spoonful of jaggery. An egg cracked into the middle makes egg hoppers, but the plain ones, warm and slightly sour, are perfection on their own. They are best eaten the moment they leave the pan, while the edges still crackle.

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