Soft, fluffy, slightly sweet steamed rice cakes fermented with coconut toddy or yeast — the Goan version of idli, softer and slightly sweeter, eaten with Goan pork curry or fish curry at Sunday meals.
Ingredients
1.5 cups parboiled rice or idli rice
1/2 cup urad dal (split black gram without skin)
1/4 cup fresh grated coconut
1 tsp dry yeast dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water (substitute for toddy)
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
water as needed for grinding
Method
Soak the rice and dal separately: Wash 1.5 cups parboiled rice and soak in 3 cups water for 4 to 6 hours. Wash 1/2 cup urad dal and soak separately in 2 cups water for 4 hours.
Grind the urad dal: Drain the soaked urad dal. Grind in a mixer with minimal water — about 1/4 cup — for 5 minutes until a very smooth, thick, fluffy white paste forms. Remove and keep in a large bowl.
Grind the rice with coconut: Drain the soaked rice. Grind in a mixer with fresh grated coconut and enough water — about 1/2 cup — for 4 minutes until a smooth but slightly grainy paste forms. Add to the urad dal paste bowl.
Mix and add yeast: Mix the dal and rice batters together. Add the dissolved yeast, sugar and salt. Mix well. The batter should be a flowing, pourable consistency — thinner than idli batter.
Ferment the batter: Cover the bowl with a cloth. Leave in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours or overnight until the batter has risen and become bubbly on the surface. Traditional Goan sannas use coconut toddy for fermentation — it creates a characteristic mildly sour, slightly alcoholic ferment that dry yeast approximates well.
Prepare the steamer and moulds: Fill a steamer or large pot with water. Bring to a boil. Grease small round moulds (use a muffin tin, small katoris or a sannas mould if available) with oil.
Fill the moulds: Stir the fermented batter gently — do not collapse the bubbles. Fill each mould about 3/4 full — the sannas will rise during steaming.
Steam for 12 to 15 minutes: Place the filled moulds in the steamer. Cover with a tight lid. Steam on medium heat for 12 to 15 minutes. Test with a toothpick in the centre — it should come out clean.
Rest before unmoulding: Remove from the steamer. Let rest for 3 minutes before unmoulding. Run a thin knife around the edge of each sanna and it will release easily.
Serve warm: Serve the warm sannas alongside Goan pork sorpotel, Goan chicken xacuti or any Goan curry. The soft, slightly sweet, coconut-fragrant sanna is the perfect counterpart to the spicy and sour Goan curries.
Note: Sannas are the Goan equivalent of idli but distinctly different — softer, slightly sweet and made with coconut. The coconut toddy fermentation gives them a mildly alcoholic, complex sour note that dry yeast approximates. Sannas are specifically the bread served at Goan Catholic Sunday lunches alongside the main curry. They are also made for Christmas and Easter feasts.