Sri Lankan hopper hunting

This article first appeared in The Weekend Australian May 13-14th 2006

All cultures and countries have staples in their diet. More often than not, this will include some from of bread. The Indians have naan, the Jews have rye, the French have their baguettes and croissants and my dad even has his processed white bread with – unlike my children – crusts on. Sri Lankans have their hoppers.

I discovered this when I went to a friend’s garden party. It was like a wedding but wasn’t really a wedding; more a celebration. There was a mock Indian comic, improvised theatre (including the ceremonial cracking of a huge chocolate freckle) and, the really memorable part, food. One of the celebrants, Ravi, is an Australian Sri Lankan. This meant the Sri Lankan caterers were brought in.

When the festivities of the celebration stopped and the feasting began, guests were to queue up at the “hopper hut”. There, the caterers dished up traditional Sri Lankan curries, which were given out with the hoppers that were being made and consumed in a production- line manner.

Hoppers are a little like pancakes but different. They’re generally made with a simple mix of coconut milk, rice flour, sugar and salt. There are variations on the theme but these are the basic ingredients. To properly make hoppers (easier said than done), there are a few simple rules. They need to be made in a special pan, sometimes called an iron chutty, which is shaped like a bowl. It’s not as deep as a wok but more so than a frypan. The depth of the pan ensures the hopper cooks slowly, about five minutes on low heat. A hopper should be crispy on the upper outer side but fluffy and soft in the middle. When making a hopper it’s also common to put an egg in the middle of the mix once placed in the pan. It will be ready when the hoppers are.

Although the celebration is more than a year ago, the thought of the hoppers has stayed with me. Perhaps it’s the funny name or something to do with the romance of Sri Lanka. Either way, I decide to do a little hopper hunt of my own. I discover a few other facts in the process. In Sri Lanka, the locals like to drink arrack. This is a spirit derived from coconut and it’s generally mixed with cola or some other soft drink. I think I prefer beer.

Ravi, who went to Sri Lanka recently, reckons eating at hotels is the way to go. They go to great lengths to make all the food special with a multitude of curries using all sorts of vegetables, meats and seafood. Attention to detail and presentation is meticulous. According to him, the street food there isn’t much chop, unlike, for example, in Thailand.

But back to hoppers. After a little investigation I discovered there aren’t a lot of Sri Lankan restaurants in Australia. So I’d better book a flight to Colombo.