String Hoppers — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Delicate lacework discs of steamed rice flour noodles, pressed through a mold and stacked in airy nests — eaten by peeling apart layers and soaking them in coconut milk curry.

Ingredients

2 cups roasted rice flour (red or white)
1 cup boiling water
1/2 tsp salt
Extra rice flour for dusting
Coconut milk for serving

Instructions

1 Bring water to a rolling boil with salt. Pour over rice flour and mix quickly with a wooden spoon until a smooth dough forms.
2 Knead the dough briefly — it should be soft and pliable, not sticky. Add a touch more water or flour to adjust.
3 Fill the string hopper press with dough. Press in circular motions onto small woven mats to create thin noodle discs.
4 Stack the mats in a steamer and steam for 5-7 minutes until noodles are cooked through but still separate.
5 Carefully peel string hoppers off the mats. Stack 3-4 per serving.
6 Serve with coconut milk curry (kiri hodi), dhal curry, and pol sambol.

Did You Know?

The art of pressing string hoppers is a skill Sri Lankan girls traditionally learn from their grandmothers, and the speed of pressing is a source of family pride.