prep
30 minutes
cook
1:20 hour
difficulty
Mid
preparation
30
minutes
cooking
1:20
hour
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
String hoppers
- 450 g wheat flour or rice flour (see note)
- salt
Kiri hodi
- 1 onion, thinly sliced
- 1 small green chilli, halved lengthways
- 4-6 fresh curry leaves
- 2 cm piece pandanus leaf
- 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp fenugreek seeds
- 1 tsp Maldive fish flakes (optional)
- 1 tsp salt
- 500 ml (17 fl oz/2 cups) thick coconut milk
- 1 tbsp lime juice
Coconut sambol
- 60 g bombay onions
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 1 tbsp Maldive fish flakes
- 2 tsp chilli powder
- 1 tsp paprika powder (see note)
- 1 large fresh coconut, scraped, or 100 g desiccated coconut soaked in 100 ml water (see note)
- 1 lime, juiced
- salt, to taste
Instructions
To make the string hoppers, wrap the flour in a clean cloth and place in a bamboo steamer for 1 hour. While hot, transfer to the jug of a blender to break it up. Sift the steamed flour into a bowl.
Bring 500 ml water to the boil. Transfer to a large bowl to cool slightly.
Add salt and hot water to the steamed flour. Work it with your hands until a soft dough forms. Squeeze out the dough onto wicker mats, making an even double layer. Stack the mats on top of each other and steam for 3-5 minutes.
To make the kiri hodi, place all the ingredients except the coconut milk and lime juice into a heavy-based saucepan. Add 1 cup water and simmer over low heat for 5 minutes or until the onion softens.
Add the coconut milk, stirring continuously for 1-2 minutes (do not let the mixture boil). Remove from heat, season to taste with salt. Add the lime juice.
To make the coconut sambol, in a large mortar and pestle, grind the onions. Add the peppercorns and Maldive fish, and crush well. Stir in the chilli and paprika and work until a coarse paste forms. Add the coconut and pound together, so the coconut and paste are thoroughly combined.
Gradually add the lime juice and season with salt.
Note
• String hopper moulds and mats are available from Sri Lankan grocers.
• String hopper moulds and mats are available from Sri Lankan grocers.
• My choice for the string hoppers is wheat flour; though you have to steam the flour first. Using rice flour gives you a basic rice noodle in a different shape.
• I have used paprika solely to give the sambol a rich red colour; you can use more red chilli if you prefer it very hot. The sambol is supposed to be an orangey red colour.
• Fresh coconut should be used in this recipe, as dry or desiccated isn't as juicy. When we arrived in Australia in 1979, it was very hard to get a fresh coconut, so we used to reconstitute the desiccated with some warm water. It’s not as good as fresh, but is acceptable.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
