Idiyappam (String Hoppers)

Ingredients

• Rice flour

  White

  2 cup or 316g

• Water

  Plain, clean water

  ½ cup or 118g

• Salt

  Table

  1 tsp or 6g

• Waxgourd

  (chinese preserving melon), raw

  1 waxgourd or 5.7kg

Directions

1. Toast the flour in a pan on low heat for 6 to 8 minutes while stirring regularly (optional).
2. Add the flour and salt to a bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer.
3. Add water slowly and work into a soft dough. Add more water or adjust with more flour if necessary. Dough should detach from the sides of the bowl and not be sticky.
4. Place the dough into a noodle press (sev sancha or string hopper press).
5. Press the idiyappam dough onto string hopper mats (or directly onto a bamboo steamer lined with banana leaves) in a circular fashion.
6. Place the mats into the steamer, over a wok on medium flame with boiling water.
7. Steam until idiyappam is fully cooked, about 8 to 10 minutes.
8. Serve hot with coconut milk gravy (kiri hodi) and coconut sambol (pol sambol).
9. Recipe by: Mike Benayoun (source: https://www.196flavors.com/sri-lanka-idiyappam-string-hoppers/)