Egg Hoppers
Fermented rice and coconut batter swirled up the sides of a small bowl-shaped pan, with an egg cracked into the middle as it cooks.
Photograph credit: Egg Hopper - The Coconut Island 2025-10-05 by Andy Li · CC0 · Wikimedia Commons
Method
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Blend the cooked rice with 100 ml of the warm water until smooth — this helps the ferment and the texture.
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Mix the rice flour, yeast and sugar in a large bowl, then whisk in the rice paste and the rest of the warm water to a thick batter.
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Cover and leave at room temperature for 8 hours or overnight, until bubbly and smelling faintly sour.
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The next morning, whisk in the coconut milk, salt and bicarbonate of soda. The batter should be thin — like single cream. Add water if it is thicker.
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Heat a small bowl-shaped hopper pan or a small wok over medium heat and wipe it with coconut oil.
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Pour in a small ladleful, then immediately lift the pan and swirl it so the batter coats the sides in a thin film, leaving a thicker pool in the base.
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Crack an egg into the pool, cover, and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges are lacy, crisp and lifting away and the egg white is set.
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Loosen the rim with a thin spatula and lift the whole hopper out in one piece.
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Repeat, wiping the pan with oil between each.
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Serve immediately with pol sambol and dhal.
Chef’s Tips
- Thin batter, or you cannot swirl it up the sides.
- Cover the pan for the egg. It sets the white while the rim crisps.
- Eat them as they come out. Hoppers go soft within minutes.
Common Substitutions & Variations
- For a non-vegan version, double cream can generally stand in for the coconut milk; going the other way, a plant-based cream sold for cooking is the closer match to dairy than tinned coconut milk on its own.
Pairing Suggestions
- Pol sambol and lunu miris
- Dhal curry
- Strong milky tea
Storage & Reheating
The batter keeps 2 days refrigerated and improves. Cook the hoppers to order.
Common questions
How long does Egg Hoppers take to make?
About 50 minutes of hands-on work — 30 minutes of preparation and 20 minutes of cooking — plus 8 hours of resting, so allow 8 hours 50 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 6.
What are the key tips for making Egg Hoppers?
Thin batter, or you cannot swirl it up the sides. Cover the pan for the egg. It sets the white while the rim crisps. Eat them as they come out. Hoppers go soft within minutes.
What should I serve with Egg Hoppers?
Pol sambol and lunu miris; Dhal curry; Strong milky tea.
How should Egg Hoppers be stored?
The batter keeps 2 days refrigerated and improves. Cook the hoppers to order.
Is Egg Hoppers suitable for a special diet?
This recipe is gluten-free. Those labels are checked against the ingredient list, so a dish is only marked when nothing in it contradicts the claim.
How many calories are in Egg Hoppers?
About 256 kcal per serving, with 14 g protein, 32 g carbohydrate and 8 g fat. The figures are calculated from the ingredient list and are an estimate.
Nutritional Highlights
Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list. Treat these as an estimate — brands and cuts vary.
Reader Reviews
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Written and tested by Turab
One person, one kitchen — no test kitchen, no team. How every recipe on this site is checked before it goes up.
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