Karan Gokani - Hoppers: the Cookbook: Recipes, Memories and Inspiration from Sri Lankan Homes, Streets and Beyond

To all the beautiful people of Sri Lanka who have embraced me as one of their own.

And above all, to my Hoppers family, without whom the restaurants and this book would only have been a dream.

When in November 2015 I reviewed in the Evening Standard the first Hoppers restaurant that opened in Soho, I gave it my rarely awarded top score of five stars. And this was before I had met the enchanting Karan Gokani. I was aware of his energetic presence at the time, darting between back and front of house, but didnt know that he was related by marriage to the highly successful restaurant group JKS. S stands for Sunaina, Karans wife, also operations director, wine buyer and sister to Jyotin and Karam.

I subsequently discovered that Karan is one of the best cooks I have ever encountered and not just of southern Indian and Sri Lankan traditions, his zeal for which informs this lovingly crafted book. Born in India myself, to where I return as often as is practical with a sideline in visiting Sri Lanka, I have benefited from Karans knowledge, enthusiasm, thoroughness, contacts, friendships and tips, all of which are revealed with unfailing, subtle detail in these pages.

I am resolved to buy a hopper pan, season it carefully and cook at home what Madhur Jaffrey has described as the love child of a crpe and a crumpet which, with its soft mattress base but brittle frilly edge, is the ideal vehicle for savoury spicy assemblies. I will put together short eats such a great phrase noisily chop and stir-fry kothu, the soundtrack of Sri Lankan fast food, make my own seeni sambol (caramelised onion chutney) and hunt down the recommended spice mixes, molasses, jaggery and other vital ingredients with the help of deliveries from hopperscashandkari.com . The importance of drinks and cocktails are stressed, so that might warrant a few bottles of Arrack Attack. I will even try to master bone marrow varuval or maybe just make a booking at one of the branches of Hoppers.

A lifetime of collecting cookery books has made me wary of adding to their number in case I am forced out of the door of my own house, but owning this one is imperative.

London has become my favourite destination for global culinary discovery (something Id not have considered possible some short years ago) and before planning my gastronomic itinerary I always consult one or two trusted locals.

On one such trip in early 2016 my friend, the writer Richard Vines, insisted that we visit his new favourite restaurant, Hoppers. He said little about the restaurant or its food other than, Its Sri Lankan. Just go. Of course, that meant little to me, but I fully trusted someone who had first introduced me to Kitty Fishers and chef Tomos Parry, as well as Clove Club and chef Isaac McHale.

And so we went to Hoppers for lunch: to this day one of the most exciting of my life. We placed ourselves in the hospitable hands of the exuberant Karan Gokani, and dish after dish appeared, more plates and pleasure than could fit on our table or in our bellies. Each menu item was a new discovery for the eyes and an awakening for the palate. Each precisely spiced bite beckoned you to take another. And another. By the time the blackened Kalupol Roast Chicken arrived, we had scant room for any more food. And yet we ate it down to the bone, as it was that damned good.

Ive since gotten to know Karan and understand why Hoppers is such a great restaurant. His unfettered joy for delighting his staff and guests by introducing them to the pleasures of his Sri Lankan table is both irrepressible and irresistible. When I go to Hoppers, I dont just eat well. I always learn something new. How many restaurants can do that?

I try to visit Hoppers each time Im in London which is never often enough. Meanwhile, what a joy to have this beautiful book, so that I can jog great culinary memories, unlock the whys behind so much flavour, and savour my favourites at my own home table.

Most significant family events in my life have been dominated by talk of food and restaurants. So its especially fitting that the idea for Hoppers was born at my own wedding. My wife Sunaina is the S in the JKS Restaurants group (our parent company), her brother Karam is the K and their eldest brother Jyotin is the J. At the wedding talk turned to our love for Sri Lankan and south Indian food, and Karam and I questioned why central London didnt have a contemporary offering of dosas, hoppers and some of the incredible curries and dishes we had grown up eating in friends homes and on trips across the Indian subcontinent.

Although I grew up in Mumbai I have always loved food from south India. I was first introduced to it through my grand-uncle Tatun who had grown up in Tamil Nadu, a state in south India. A bachelor all his life, Tatun would often come home unannounced with a shopping bag filled with fresh vegetables and cook up the most exquisite spreads. Tatuns food stands out in my memory like no other. Later, at university, I was introduced to Sri Lankan food by my friends from there and soon became obsessed with it. The similarities and differences to the south Indian food I had grown up eating made me curious to travel, research and understand the cuisine better. While there is a large Tamilian community in Sri Lanka (originating from India, several generations ago), particularly in the north, Sri Lanka is such a melting pot of influences and cultures. The Sinhalese, Dutch Burghers and Malay muslims have all had an indelible impact on the cuisine and dining culture of the tiny islands.

When Karam and I talked about creating Hoppers, it was driven by the food that we craved and wished we had more of. The first question I often get asked by guests and visitors is Why is the restaurant called Hoppers? That was Karams working title for the Sri Lankan concept he had been thinking of well before we met, and a name that was so good it eventually stuck. The Hopper, quite literally, is a bowl-shaped pancake made from fermented rice and coconut and is hugely popular across Sri Lanka as breakfast or dinner food. Its a unique dish to look at and serves as the perfect vehicle for curries, sambols and chutneys. It was therefore always going to be central to our menu.

Bringing Sri Lankan and south Indian food to central London was motivated by the desire to create a vibrant, thoughtful, joyous space that showcased and celebrated everything we loved about the regions with delicious food and warm, loving hospitality at the core of it all. In 2015, Karam and I visited Sri Lanka to research the food and spent days visiting and working in hotels, restaurants and homes. We came back buzzing with new ideas and inspiration.

When a tiny site came up on Sohos Frith Street we jumped at the opportunity, and Hoppers Soho was born. Our first, flagship restaurant was inspired by the family-run toddy shacks often found on vast coconut plantations across south India and Sri Lanka. (Theres a whole chapter in here about toddy plantations should you wish to delve deeper; .) The brilliant designer Katy Monolesque brought our vision for the interiors to life, creating a bustling, warm, welcoming space that transported you to another land.