Hoppers

Hoppers, known locally as appa, are bowl-shaped pancakes made from a fermented batter of rice flour and coconut milk. Swirled in a small rounded wok, the batter sets into a soft, spongy centre with delicate, crisp, lacy edges. The egg hopper has an egg cracked into the middle as it cooks.

They are eaten at breakfast or dinner, torn by hand and dipped into accompaniments — most famously lunu miris, a fiery relish of chilli, onion and lime.

Hoppers are a staple across Sri Lanka and parts of southern India, where similar fermented rice-and-coconut cookery runs deep. The fermentation gives the batter its characteristic tang and airy texture.

Street stalls and home kitchens turn them out in stacks, and “hopper and egg” is a comforting national shorthand for a good, simple meal. Sweet milk hoppers and string hoppers are close cousins in the same family.