Name: Goan Sweet Sanna
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 2 servings
Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients: 1 cup Short Grain Rice, soaked for 8 hours; ½ cup Freshly Grated Coconut, use fresh coconut; ¼ cup Coconut Milk, thick coconut milk; ¼ cup Sugar, adjust sweetness to preference; ¼ tsp Salt, to balance sweetness; ½ tsp Baking Soda, for instant fermentation lift; ¼ cup Water, for grinding

40 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 2
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

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Ingredients

1 cupShort Grain Ricesoaked for 8 hours
½ cupFreshly Grated Coconutuse fresh coconut
¼ cupCoconut Milkthick coconut milk
¼ cupSugaradjust sweetness to preference
¼ tspSaltto balance sweetness
½ tspBaking Sodafor instant fermentation lift
¼ cupWaterfor grinding

Quantities are for 2 servings.

You'll need: Stovetop.

Includes 8 hours of rice soaking before grinding and steaming the sannas.

Method

Drain the soaked short grain rice completely. Transfer it to a blender jar along with the freshly grated coconut.
Add coconut milk and a splash of water, grinding the mixture into a thick, slightly coarse batter. Avoid making it too watery.
Transfer the batter to a large bowl. Stir in the sugar and salt, mixing well until the sugar dissolves.
Let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes. Just before steaming, add the baking soda and stir gently in one direction. The batter will become light and frothy.
15–20 min
Grease small stainless steel bowls (vatis) or a wide idli mold with a few drops of oil. Pour the frothy batter into the molds, filling them up to 3/4th capacity.
Place the molds in a preheated steamer. Cover and steam on high heat for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
15–20 min
Remove from the steamer and let them cool for 5 minutes. Gently loosen the edges with a wet knife and unmold the Sannas.
5 min
Serve warm, relishing the soft, spongy texture.

How to tell it's done

Sannas should be soft, porous, lightly sweet, and fragrant with coconut.

Getting it right

Tip

While traditional Goan Sannas use toddy (palm wine) or yeast for overnight fermentation, adding baking soda just before steaming yields a similarly airy, spongy texture for quick home preparation.

What to serve it with

Serve sweet sannas as a tea-time snack, or pair them with sorpotel or Goan chicken xacuti.

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