Sri Lankan fried chicken & hoppers

Our twist on a Sri Lankan staple. Lightly-spiced, succulent chicken makes the perfect partner to hoppers – rice pancakes – served with a silky smooth coconut onion gravy

Prep:30 mins
Cook:1 hrs
plus fermentation and brining overnight

Serves 6
A challenge

Nutrition per serving

kcal 961
fat 56g
saturates 30g
carbs 75g
sugars 11g
fibre 5g
protein 37g
salt 1.1g

Ingredients

250ml coconut milk
1 garlic clove, crushed
pinch of ground ginger
2 cardamom pods, crushed
pinch of white pepper
500g skinless chicken breasts, each cut into 3 pieces
250g rice flour
1 ½ tsp fast-action dried yeast
1 ½ tsp golden caster sugar
500ml coconut milk
rapeseed oil, for brushing
4-6 eggs
1l sunflower oil or rapeseed oil
75g gram flour
25g cornflour
100g quick-cook polenta
25g desiccated coconut
pinch of smoked paprika
pinch of cayenne pepper
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 small green chilli, halved lengthways
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp ground fenugreek seeds
1 tsp fish sauce
2 tsp cane or light brown sugar
400ml full-fat coconut milk
125g bag baby leaf spinach, chopped
juice of 1 lime
2 onions, finely chopped
2 red chillies, finely chopped
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp lime juice

Method

To prepare the chicken, tip the coconut milk into a jug and stir in the garlic, spices and 1 tsp salt. Put the chicken in a plastic container or roasting tin and pour over the brine mix to cover. Cover with cling film and chill for 24 hrs.
For the hoppers, put the rice flour in a large bowl. In a jug, combine 125ml water with the yeast and sugar, and leave for about 8 mins until you see some foaming. Pour in the coconut milk and whisk the wet ingredients into the rice flour to make a smooth batter, slightly thinner than pancake batter. Season, cover and allow to ferment overnight in the fridge.
To make the kiri hodi, put all the ingredients (except the coconut milk, lime juice and spinach) in a heavy-based saucepan. Add 1 tbsp water and simmer over a low heat for 5 mins or until the onion softens. Pour in the coconut milk and cook for a further 1-2 mins (do not boil). Tip in the spinach, stir until wilted, then remove from the heat. Season to taste with salt and add the lime juice.
To make the sambol, use a pestle and mortar or mini processor to grind the onions with the chillies, a big pinch of salt and smoked paprika, to form a coarse paste. Season with lime juice and more salt, if needed.
To cook, remove the chicken and hoppers mix from the fridge for about 1 hr so they come to room temperature. To cook the chicken, heat the oil in a deep-fat fryer or saucepan until it reaches 180C on a cooking thermometer. To make the fried chicken coating, combine all the ingredients with 1/4 tsp salt in a bowl. Piece by piece, remove the chicken from its brine, allow the excess to drip off, then dredge it in the coating. Shake off the excess and fry in the oil for 6-8 mins until cooked through. Drain on kitchen paper, then rest in a low oven while you make the hoppers.
Make the hoppers. Whisk your hoppers base to remove any lumps. Add a splash more water to thin it if needed. Heat a non-stick frying pan, a hopper pan or small high-sided wok and brush on some rapeseed oil with kitchen paper. Add a ladle of mix to the pan and immediately swirl it around and up the edges to create a bowl-shaped pancake. Cook for 1 min, then add an egg and cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 mins more until the egg is cooked and the edges are starting to brown. Repeat with the remaining batter and eggs. Serve the hoppers with the chicken, sambol and kiri hodi.