Recipe - Sannas ( Goan or Mangalorean Steamed Rice Cakes )

Mangalorean Sannas.
Just saying those two words together makes my mouth water.
Popular along the Konkan coast of South India, Sannas also go by the name Goan sannas or Goan steamed rice cake, if you want to get really fancy about.

 Compared to idlis, sannas are more fluffier and porous, thus absorbing gravies and curries better. They are usually served alongside popular Goan or Mangalorean pork and chicken dishes, the common associates being:

• Pork vindaloo
• Pork sorpotel
• Pork baffat 
• Traditional South Indian style chicken curry.

It can also be had as a breakfast option along with your sweet coconut milk, coconut chutneys and sambhars.

 Trust me. Sannas and chicken curry makes for a very yummy combination.

Personally, I have always pictured them as 'well nourished idlis', though to be honest, I find their taste better than the more popular idlis.
That might be because the original recipe uses toddy (palm alcohol) as a fermenting agent but don't worry, we can make it absolutely delicious without toddy too.  

Points to Note Before you Start:
Your preparation for sannas begins a good while ahead so you may want to start tonight if you want to get your ingredients ready for the next day.
But it is worth it. The batter can be refrigerated for up to 48 hours and even prepared sannas can be kept in the fridge as they get back their unique softness with just half a minute inside the microwave.

Ingredients:

• Ponni rice / Idli rice       -    2 cups
• Urad daal / Black gram  -   1 tbsp
• Yeast                                -   1/4 tsp
• Sugar                               -   2 tbsp
• Lukewarm water             -   1/4 cup
• Salt                                  -   1-2 teaspoon or as per taste

Recipe:

• Soak rice and urad daal separately for 6 hours. 
• Grind to fine paste .
• Dissolve yeast and sugar in lukewarm water for 10 minutes.
• Mix this to the ground batter; the batter should be thick ideally. 
• Add the required salt and mix well. 
• Keep for fermentation for 5 hours.
• Now pour this in greased katoris or idli moulds. Pour only up to 3/4th of the mould.
• Steam for 15 minutes and remove from the mould.

Your sannas are ready to serve.

Expect to see the odd food recipe like this at Godyears too - all prepared by my mother - from recipes she has collected as far back as the 1980's - with some unique to Kerala cuisine and some variations of international dishes. 

For the list of all the recipes so far (including seafood, egg dishes, sweets, twists on traditional dishes et al), click here:

For more food posts,  you can just check out the Category on Godyears labeled "Foodgasm" here.