Sri Lankan · bread

Appa with Pol Sambol (Bowl-Shaped Rice Pancakes and Coconut Relish)

Appa with Pol Sambol (Bowl-Shaped Rice Pancakes and Coconut Relish) reads richness 5.5, sourness 5.4 and citrus 5.1 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Sri Lankan bread, about 9 hr 29 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 5.7 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 5.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 6.9 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 6.6 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 2.7 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 5.5 · Sourness 5.4 · Citrus 5.1 · Sweetness 4.8 · Salinity 4.7 · Umami 4.1 · Nutty 3.7 · Fruity 2.9 · Marine & Briny 2.8 · Funk & Ferment 2.8 · Heat 2.3 · Smoke 2.3 · Floral 2.1 · Allium 1.8 · Herbaceous 0.8 · Bitterness 0.7 · Earthy 0.6

What's in it (15)

• rice flour — 400 g
• yeast — 3 g
• sugar — 4 g
• water — 120 g
• coconut milk — 368 g
• coconut milk — 184 g
• salt — 5 g
• baking soda — 1 g
• coconut oil — 14 g
• coconut — 150 g
• red chili flakes — 30 g
• maldive fish — 15 g
• red onion — 60 g
• lime juice — 22 g
• salt — 5 g

Time & effort: about 9 hr 29 min (29 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 235.7 kcal, 3.7 g protein, 13.5 g fat, 27.2 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (7 steps)

1. Dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water and leave 10 minutes until it froths. In a village kitchen the leavening would be fresh toddy rather than yeast, which is the older and better version if you can get it.
2. Whisk the rice flour with the thin coconut milk and the yeast mixture into a smooth batter, cover and ferment 8 to 10 hours or overnight, until it is bubbly and smells faintly sour and alcoholic.
3. Stir in the thick coconut milk, the salt and the bicarbonate of soda. The batter should be the thickness of single cream; add water if it has tightened overnight.
4. Heat a small deep bowl-shaped pan over medium heat, wipe it with coconut oil, pour in a small ladle of batter and immediately swirl the pan so the batter climbs the sides and leaves a thick pool at the bottom.
5. Cover and cook 3 to 4 minutes, until the edges are lacy, crisp and browned and the centre is set and spongy. Lift the hopper out with a thin spatula and repeat.
6. For the pol sambol, pound the grated coconut with the chilli flakes, Maldive fish and chopped red onion in a mortar until the mixture goes dark orange and starts to weep a little oil. Maldive fish is cured, smoked and sun-dried tuna and it is the umami floor under half of Sri Lankan cooking; there is no swapping it out.
7. Season with the lime juice and salt, taste, and serve piled beside the hot hoppers for breakfast or a late supper.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Smoked Salmon (Røget Laks) — Scandinavian
• Grilled Salmon with Maple Glaze — American
• Spiced Salmon Shawarma Bowls — Middle Eastern
• Siomay (Steamed Fish Dumplings) — Indonesian
• Tamarind-Glazed Salmon — Indian

Keep reading: what richness, sourness, citrus mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

See how this dish fits your palate — take the short taste test →

Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.