Method
- Toast the rice flour in a dry pan over medium-low heat for 4 minutes, stirring constantly — the flour should not change colour but should release a faint nutty aroma. This step is critical; raw rice flour produces gummy string hoppers.
- Tip the toasted flour into a heatproof bowl. Add salt. Pour boiling water over while mixing with a wooden spoon — start with 350ml and add more as needed. The dough should be soft, pliable, slightly sticky, like Play-Doh. Add oil; knead briefly while still warm.
- Cover and rest 10 minutes. The dough firms slightly as the rice flour fully hydrates.
- Set up a steamer with rapidly boiling water. Have small banana-leaf squares or string hopper mats ready.
- Fill the press with dough. Press in a circular motion onto a banana-leaf square, building a nest of rice threads about 8cm across. Each nest should have 3–4 layers of threads. Make 16 nests total.
- Steam in batches over high heat for 8 minutes. The threads should change from wet-grey to dry-white. Serve hot, with coconut milk poured over, dhal curry on the side, and pol sambol. Eat by tearing pieces with the fingers.
Common questions
Can String Hoppers (Idiyappam) be made ahead?
String Hoppers (Idiyappam) is best made and eaten the same day, but the components can be prepped earlier — chop and measure the ingredients up to a day ahead, refrigerated separately. Final cooking takes about 15 minutes.
Is String Hoppers (Idiyappam) spicy?
String Hoppers (Idiyappam) as written is mild to mildly warming — the heat comes from aromatics rather than chili. Add fresh sliced chili or chili oil at the end if you'd like to push it spicier.
Is String Hoppers (Idiyappam) vegetarian or gluten-free?
String Hoppers (Idiyappam) is suitable for vegetarian (and vegan if dairy is omitted) diets.
How hard is String Hoppers (Idiyappam) to make at home?
String Hoppers (Idiyappam) sits at intermediate difficulty — total time about 45 minutes. The ingredients are not unusual but the timing requires attention.
Can String Hoppers (Idiyappam) be scaled up or down?
This recipe is written for 4 servings. To scale, multiply each ingredient proportionally; the cooking times stay the same up to about double the volume. Beyond that, expect to cook in batches because of pan size and heat distribution.
Cultural Note
String hoppers — idiyappam in Tamil — predate the Sri Lankan and South Indian states; they appear in 16th-century manuscripts. The Sri Lankan version is finer-stranded and more delicate than the Tamil; both are typically breakfast food. The press technique is cooked-into-Tamil-and-Sinhala-cooking; the dish is impossible without the right press. Eating string hoppers is hands-on: one tears a piece, dips in coconut milk, picks up a piece of curry. The Sri Lankan breakfast of string hoppers, dhal, kiri hodi (coconut gravy) and pol sambol is the national morning architecture.
