Name: Goan Sweet Sanna
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 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; ½ tsp Cooking Oil, for greasing the moulds

40 mintotal

Prep 15 min · Cook 25 min

Serves: 4
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: None

Add to your week

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
½ tspCooking Oilfor greasing the moulds

Quantities are for 4 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.

Nutrition

Per serving, from 4 servings.

Estimate: RoughSeveral nutrients could not be estimated.

302kcal

Where the calories come from

Protein3.9 g5%
Carbohydrate54.5 g72%
Fat7.7 g23%

Saturated fat: 6.3 g
Sodium: 308 mg
Potassium: 113 mg
Calcium: 7 mg
Iron: 0.9 mg

Estimated from the ingredient list using reviewed food-composition sources, including USDA FoodData Central. Not a laboratory analysis.

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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