A marriage between a French
crepe and an English crumpet. This version sourced from one of Madhur Jaffrey's
wonderful collections of recipes, which Doreen lent me. Don't know if it's still in print, but worth keeping an eye out for any of them in second hand shops. Also see this source of second hand books
Hoppers are a little tricky in that you have to get the temperature just right and the viscosity of the mix just right, or you get a combination of burnt and raw that doesn't do all that much for breakfast. Because all kinds of factors can influence viscosity - room temperature, humidity, flour type (and even brand and batch) - you will need to experiment a little, until instinct takes over. You will get a feel for a batter that is "just right".
1. Put the
yeast in a large bowl. Slowly add 250 ml lukewarm water, stirring to dissolve.
Add sugar and salt and mix together.
2. Add the
flours, mixing as you go. You should end up with a very thick pasty doughlike
batter.
3. Cover the
bowl with a damp teatowel, and leave in a dark warm spot for ten hours. (In the oven overnight is fine - oven turned off btw.)
4. Next morning, apply blender until smooth and add coconut milk. Leave aside for ten minutes.
5. Place low/medium
heat under wok, and heat slowly. Add about 10ml of oil and wipe with paper towel, leaving visible coating of oil in wok
6. Pour a
third of a cup of batter into the wok and swirl the wok gently to take
the batter out about 2cm beyond its original radius. There is ideally enough heat in the wok to just produce bubbles when you first pour in the mix, but too hot means the middle bottom blackens while the middle top stays raw.
7. Cover the
wok and let the batter cook slowly - estimate about eight to eleven minutes - until
the centre resembles a thinnish crumpet and the outside is crisp and golden
reddish brown. (While you are experimenting, initially, you will need to check from time to time, but remember that when you raise the lid to look, you allow the built up steam inside the wok to dissipate and thereby change the rules to some extent.)
8. Lift it
out with an egg slice onto a plate. Serve with usual crepe toppings. Re-apply oil and continue.
VARIATION:
Smooth a small indentation in the centre of the batter. Break an egg into
a cup, and then slowly pour it into the indentation so the yolk is contained
and the white spreads a little over the surface. Cover the wok and proceed
as before.
