Sri Lankan Hoppers: A Simple Guide, and What We Make Instead

Everything about appa (hoppers), and the honest answer: we do not make them. Here is what to order at our Scarborough kitchen instead.

Hoppers, or appa, are one of the first things people mention when they talk about Sri Lankan food. So here is the honest answer first: Blessed Kitchen does not make hoppers. Below is a quick guide to hoppers, and the dishes from our menu that hit the same spot.

What are hoppers?

A hopper is a bowl-shaped pancake made from fermented rice flour and coconut milk. The batter is swirled in a small round pan (an appachatti) so the edges come out thin, lacy and crisp, while the centre stays soft and spongy. The fermentation gives it a light tang. Hoppers are best eaten within minutes of leaving the pan.

• Plain hopper: crisp edges, soft middle. Eaten with sambol or curry.
• Egg hopper: an egg cracked into the centre while it cooks. The most popular kind.
• Milk hopper: sweeter, with extra coconut milk, sometimes with jaggery.
• String hoppers (idiyappam): a different dish entirely. Steamed rice-noodle nests. See string hoppers in Scarborough.

What people eat with hoppers

Lunu miris (a red onion and chilli sambol), pol sambol (coconut sambol), dhal, and a chicken or fish curry. Hoppers are traditionally a breakfast or dinner food.

What to order from us instead

If you love the soft, coconut-and-rice-flour side of Sri Lankan food, these are the dishes we make:

• Puttu Mixed ($20). Steamed rice flour layered with coconut, served with your choice of meat, dhal curry and coconut sambol. The closest thing to hoppers on our menu.
• Coconut Roti ($12) with beef curry and dhal curry. Flat, chewy and full of coconut.
• Roast Bread ($13) with coconut sambal and egg-milk curry. The egg-and-coconut combination egg hopper fans love.
• Jaffna Moor Puttu (on request) with any meat, potato milk curry and red onion sambal.
• Kottu Roti ($13) if you want a Sri Lankan street food classic.

Catering for a group

For 20 or more people, our String Hopper Biryani Combo (roughly $20 to $30 per person (quoted on menu and headcount)) is the Sri Lankan dish that surprises guests most. See halal catering in Scarborough.

How to order

Puttu, coconut roti and roast bread are all regular menu items. Order direct for pickup or delivery.

• Order direct from our kitchen for pickup or delivery. Ordering direct means no app markup on the menu.
• Call or text (647) 449-2924 to set up pickup or ask what is cooking this weekend.
• Feeding 20 or more? Get a quote for halal catering in Scarborough.

We are at 328 Passmore Avenue, Unit 59, Scarborough. Everything we cook is HMA-certified halal.

Order ideas

For two: Puttu Mixed ($20) and Roast Bread ($13), with a Mango Lassi ($6). For a group of 20 or more, String Hopper Biryani Combo (roughly $20 to $30 per person (quoted on menu and headcount)).

Hoppers vs puttu: what changes

Both are rice flour and coconut, which is why we point hopper fans to puttu. But they are made differently. Hopper batter is fermented and fried thin in a pan, so it is crisp and slightly sour. Puttu is not fermented. Rice flour and grated coconut are packed in layers and steamed, so it is soft, crumbly and meant to soak up curry. You eat hoppers with your fingers; you mix puttu into curry on the plate.