Sri Lankan String Hoppers (ඉඳිආප්ප)
Growing up in Sri Lanka, these delicious Sri Lankan String hoppers (Idiaappa/Idiyappam/ඉඳිආප්ප) are one of my favorite breakfasts and still to date one of my favorite comfort foods. Though they do take a bit of time to make, keep on reading, I do have a little trick up in my sleeve to make it a lot easier and quicker.
String hoppers are very inexpensive in Sri Lanka. I remember buying a parcel of Sri Lankan String hoppers (each parcel is enough for one person) for about 10 - 20 rupees back in the '90s and that parcel came in with Coconut sambol and sometimes with red lentil curry too. We often had them in my family, at least once a week.
When I moved to the USA, String Hoppers were one of my favorite Sri Lankan foods that I missed the most. They were my go-to comfort meal so I just had to learn to make them at home. I make them a few times a month. Especially during the winter time when I crave something easy on my stomach and comforting. They do take some time to make since you can only steam about 12 at a time (depending on how large the steamer is). But they are extremely easy and anyone can make them.
Equipment/Ingredients you need to buy
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- A traditional Sri Lankan string hopper press or an Indian idiyappam press
- String hopper steamer trays (you can also make string hoppers in a bamboo steamer. Read the next paragraph)
- A large steamer
- White String hopper flour or Red string hopper flour
A few tips to get it right
- The dough should not be too dry or too watery. The right consistency of the dough should feel like you're working with play dough. It shouldn't be sticky and should hold the shape when you squeeze it. Always add water little by little and mix until you get the right consistency.
- I always use slightly warm water, even if the string hopper flour packet says to use normal water. It pre-cooks the flour a little bit and makes fluffier string hoppers.
- Don't forget to apply oil to your spring hopper trays. So the string hoppers don't stick to the tray and come out easily.
- If you're a beginner you can turn the tray upside down and make string hoppers in the back of the tray. I did this when I struggled to squeeze the string hoppers nice and round. It is easier to stack the trays this way too.
- Keep two sets of string hopper trays. When one set is in the steamer, you can prep the other set to steam. It makes everything quicker.
Giant String hoppers to cut down time
I'll give you the traditional recipe here, but I learned that if you make large string hoppers directly in a bamboo steamer, you can actually get away with making just about 3-4 string hoppers.
For this you don't need to have string hopper trays. You can directly squeeze the strings into a bamboo steamer basket, lined with a parchment paper for easy cleaning. And then steam for about 5 minutes. If you have a two-tier bamboo steamer, you can make two giant string hoppers at a time.
Watch this video I posted on my instagram to see I how I make giant string hoppers.
What to serve with Sri Lankan String Hoppers
For my family coconut sambol or coconut mallum (pol mallum) is a must. Many Sri Lankan restaurants serve string hoppers with coconut sambol as well.
String hopper meals also need some curry with gravy. My favorites are Sri Lankan creamy potato curry (Ala Kiri Hodi) or Red lentil curry along with Sri Lankan chicken curry.
I also like it with creamy fish curry and coconut sambol or Seeni sambol.
You can make about 25 - 30 good-sized thick string hoppers with 350g of string hopper flour. Since these are thicker than restaurant-style string hoppers, this amount is enough for 3 servings.
Recipe Video
My fool-proof recipe to make soft and fluffy Sri Lankan string hoppers at home. Read the description to find out more about the tools and ingredients.
- 350 g String hopper Flour (red or white or mix of both)
- 6 g salt
- 400 g/ml Luke warm water* (you may need more water depending on how dry the flour is)
- 1 tsp cooking oil to apply on string hopper trays
To a bowl add string hopper flour and salt. Mix a little bit with a wooden spoon or a stick.
Add warm water to the bowl little by little and mix with the wooden stick until you see the flour form into lumps of dough.
Some string hopper packets/brands say to use room-temperature water. Nevertheless, I always find I get softer string hoppers and a manageable dough when I use warm water.
Then Mix the dough with your hand into one soft pliable dough. The dough should be a little tacky but not sticky. And when squeeze the dough with your hand, it should not crumble apart or should not stick to your finger. If the dough is too tough or dry, add a little bit of water and knead again. If the dough is sticky and watery, add a little bit of string hopper flour and knead it.
Lay the string hopper trays on the counter. Apply a very thin coating of oil over the surface of string hopper trays. This prevents the string hoppers from sticking to the trays.
Fill the string hopper maker with dough, up to 80% of its volume, leaving some space on the top.
Press the string hopper maker and add strings/noodles over the string hopper tray in a circular motion. When the tray is covered with strings, stop pushing the string hopper maker and cut the strings using your finger.
Add strings/noodles to about 10 trays or as many as you can fit in your steamer basket at once.
I have 20 string hopper trays. But my steamer can only hold 10 trays at once. So I only prep 10 trays at once. When those 10 trays are steaming, I prep the rest of the 10 trays.
Place the string hopper trays in the steamer basket, layering them with minimal overlapping to ensure even steaming.
Steam them for 5 - 6 minutes or until string hoppers are cooked through. Gently touch the top of the string hopper with a spoon or your finger (be very careful of the steam), it should be firm, springy, and not sticky at all.
Take the string hopper trays out (you can use a tong for this) and remove the string hoppers from the trays. Stack them in a bowl/container and keep them covered to prevent them from drying out while you make the rest of the string hoppers. Enjoy string hoppers with your favorite side dishes!
You can keep another set of stringhopper trays. So when one set is in cooking in the steamer, you can prep the other set and get them ready to steam.
- Some string hopper packets mention using room-temperature water, but I still use warm water (warm enough that you can dip your finger comfortably without burning). I always get softer fluffier string hoppers and a manageable dough with warm water.
