Hoppers Pancake as Snacks - The Apong


It is a snack I am familiar with from childhood days, a thin crusted light weight pancake with flaky edges, that nevertheless melts in the mouth and provides a crispy bite.  The dough is mainly made from rice flour, the final product involves the delicate skill of the maker and the pancake can be accompanied by spicy garnishings, or eaten plain. Also referred to as apong in Sri Lanka,  South Asia and South-east Asia, it can be a backpacker's staple for breakfast.  The quality of the apong is not just in the taste, plain looking as it can be, but also in the thinness of the skin.  The apam on the other hand is made from sourdough rice.  Quick to make, the apong or the apam is also best eaten fresh.


The batter is made from coconut milk, yeast, rice flour and even fermented coconut toddy. Small rounded pans are utilised to obtain the final bowl-like shape of each apong. When an egg is poached sitting inside each apong, it must be cooked and served runny, with a dash of salt and freshly ground black pepper.  Servings of meat curry, sambal condiments and mashed pumpkin often accompany the hoppers.  The small size of the cooking utensils ensure sufficient heat within a short period of time to come up with the desired thinness of the skins. Pictures here were taken at the Roselyn Community Centre in Carlingford, north west of Sydney, NSW.  Some such hoppers are made otherwise with palm sugar and coconut.  String shaped white coloured hoppers, or putu mayam, are popular in Malaysia as street food.


Torview on its website offers  the following savoury recipe to make hoppers.
Hoppers
2 cups rice flour
1 coconut water
2 tbsp coconut milk powder (optional or put 1/4 cup coconut milk or regular milk)
water
1 tsp yeast (can replace with 1 slice of bread during warm weather)
1 tbsp sugar (if using yeast)
1 tsp salt
1 egg
jaggery (or unrefined cane sugar)  for sweet hoppers
Mix the yeast with a tbsp of warm water and sugar. Add the yeast to all the ingredients and make a thick pourable batter using the blender, if coconut water is not enough add water or coconut milk or regular milk.
Leave the batter to ferment for at least 6 hours or more.
Heat the hopper pan to medium high heat, when it is hot grease the pan with some oil.
Put a ladle full of batter, about 2 tbsp batter and quickly turn the pan in a circular motion to coat the pan. Cook covered.
The outside of the hopper will be crispy and the centre is soft. Leave the pan covered for about 2 minutes when the hopper is cooked it will come out easily.
Pick up one side of the hopper and slide it out of the pan. Make sure it doesn't get burned in the sides faster than getting cooked in the centre, lower the heat if needed.
Serve hot.

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