Indian & South Asian · Breakfast · Dinner
Idiyappam (String Hoppers)
இடியாப்பம் (Idiyappam)
Delicate nests of steamed rice noodles, lightly scented with fresh coconut, made from just rice flour, hot water and a pinch of salt. They are soft, light and ideal with a vegetable stew or curry.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 85% · Fat 8% · Protein 7%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 1 1/2 cups240 gFine rice flour
- 1 1/3 cups330 gWater
- 1/2 tspSalt
- 1 tsp5 gCoconut oil
- 1/2 cup40 gFresh grated coconut (optional)
Steps
- 1
Dry-roast the rice flour in a heavy pan over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells toasty but has not browned.
- 2
Tip the flour into a mixing bowl and let it cool slightly.
- 3
Bring the water, salt and half the coconut oil to a rolling boil.
- 4
Pour the boiling water gradually over the flour, stirring with a spoon until it forms a crumbly mass.
- 5
When cool enough to handle, knead into a smooth, soft, non-sticky dough, about 2 minutes.
- 6
Bring water to a boil in a steamer or idli steamer.
- 7
Brush the idli plates or a steamer tray with the remaining coconut oil.
- 8
Sprinkle a little grated coconut onto each plate, if using.
- 9
Fill an idiyappam press fitted with the fine disc with dough.
- 10
Press the dough in circular motions over each plate to form small nests, then top with a little more coconut.
- 11
Steam the nests, covered, for 8-10 minutes, until they look glossy and no longer stick to your finger.
- 12
Repeat with the remaining dough, and serve warm.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use brown rice flour for part or all of the white rice flour for a nuttier, more filling nest, adding a splash more boiling water if the dough feels dry.
- Skip the fresh grated coconut for a plainer, lighter nest, or use unsweetened desiccated coconut if fresh is hard to find.
- Swap the coconut oil for any neutral vegetable oil to grease the plates if that is what you have on hand.
- If you cannot find fine rice flour, buy ready-made idiyappam or string hopper flour, which is often pre-roasted so you can skip step 1; check the label if you need it gluten-free.
Storage
Idiyappam are best eaten fresh and warm. As a cooked rice product, cool leftovers quickly, refrigerate in an airtight container within 1 hour and eat within 1 day. Re-steam once, until steaming hot all the way through and soft again.
Make ahead
You can dry-roast the rice flour up to a few weeks ahead and keep it cooled in an airtight jar. Make the dough just before pressing, as it dries out and becomes hard to press if left to sit.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
No major allergens in the ingredients.
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (145 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 231 kcal | 159 kcal |
| Protein | 3.6 g | 2.5 g |
| Carbohydrates | 48.1 g | 33.2 g |
| of which sugars | 0.1 g | 0.1 g |
| Fiber | 1.4 g | 1 g |
| Fat | 2.1 g | 1.4 g |
| of which saturated | 1.3 g | 0.9 g |
| Sodium | 294 mg | 203 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
