Idiyappam

Dassana Amit’s idiyappam, also called nool puttu or string hoppers, presses a rice-flour dough into fine strands and steams it in round nests. She places these soft, mild noodles in South Indian and Sri Lankan food traditions.

Fine rice flour is lightly roasted without browning. Salted hot water is stirred into it, and the dough is kneaded while still warm until smooth and pliable.

The dough is divided into logs for an idiyappam press. Strands fall directly into concentric rounds on lightly greased moulds, while the unused dough stays covered so it does not dry out.

Fresh grated coconut is an optional topping before steaming in this version. The nests steam under a lid and sit briefly after the heat is turned off, then are lifted out with a spatula or on their banana-leaf supports.

Amit offers the string hoppers hot, warm or at room temperature, alongside curry, vegetable stew or sweetened coconut milk. She recalls them as a breakfast at home; their delicate rice strands make a mild base for those more strongly flavoured accompaniments.