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    Home » Indian Breakfast recipes » Idli | Dosa

    Goan Sanna | Goan Idly - Goa Breakfast

    Published: Apr 7, 2014 · by Nisha

    What do you guys generally say when asked, "How was your college life" ? Fun, good and some might even say awesome. But if you were to ask me, I would say it was "four years of vacation on paradise".  Yeah, what could you expect if one was sent to a college campus that had a hostel like a resort overlooking a beautiful river, a lovely beach just few kms away and a bus-ride away to the main city that was buzzing with night life. It is a get away right!, after 12 years of school and perusal exams and scores. Once I got my admittance letter, I was on top of the world and excited to leave home for the first time in life. But everything changed once I stepped into that wide campus gate, that had rows of palm trees on either side of the road extending up to the horizon. It was overwhelming and scary, bizarre and confused and, it took almost a semester to settle down. 
    After overcoming the first semester blues and picking new friends, I got the hang of my new life. I was prepared to let go of my past, pet and pampered lifestyle and to accept the new independent and responsible life ahead. Being the first batch in campus, everything was fresh and brand new. Imagine getting a separate hostel room and a balcony with a view. What a delight that was!  As mentioned in this post, I had quite a good food in my college. Surprisingly, my hostel mess (Atish's mess) served some good food when compared to other colleges that my school friends went. Then he himself opened a cafe in our shopping complex which catered to our weekend cravings and birthday treats! Then a year passed, and our campus grew along with us. There are three main additions that became a part of our life - College canteen, nestle maggi shop and a small confectionary nook from Monjinis besides the library and these three put an almost end to our hostel mess. 
    They were so ideally located that we have to pass through them to get back to the hostel and, all three attended to our needs at various time of the day. College canteen was for our breakfast. Their idly and upma along with the thick coconut chutney were unmatched for. I would not say that they were the best. But at that time, when we were away from home and our familiar surroundings, these were the welcome and homey foods that we could ask for. The lunch thali would be very similar to what we south Indians have at home. It was more than enough for us. Then the nestle shop, for our in between nibbling. The Monjinis confectioners were for our tea breaks especially during exams and for one other important need during college life - a perfect hang out for lovey-dovey couples at night. 

    Apart from the in-campus joints, Temptations and Annapoorna in Vasco city were our favourite eat out place. Temptations has the best pastries, especially chocolate ones. Unfortunately I hate chocolates and never touched them and was quite content with my other options. Annapoorna is the pure veg restaurant that we would always go for. Then there are others like monjinis, Ginzas and one chaat shop that is to die for. God! I am not able to recollect the name nor find it in google.  Every Sunday the Karma plaza, where these are located will be flocking with college groups. These are real good places and has a youthful vibrant ambience to it.
    Even though Goan food is a fabulous treat for the non veg people, it has few interesting veg options as well. In Goa, there are two cuisines that are predominant. Malvani cuisine, i.e., the Konkan cuisine and the other one is Goan catholic cuisine. The Goan catholic cuisine is heavily influenced by Portuguese and British. The two very popular dish from this type is Sanna and Bebinca - a layered dessert made during christmas, both my favourite. As I am typing this I realized two funny things. One, I have never tasted these two dishes during my college life and second, for me, Goa equals my college and nothing beyond that. Goa is widely known for its scenic beauty and its lovely beaches. We have had lots of fun sight seeing at Panjim, vasco and Madgaon yet the campus life is engraved so deeply in my heart that I can't think of anything else. I have no words to pen down and justify those four beautiful years in my life. This period in my life, significantly changed my thoughts, attitude, my lifestyle and almost most of my outlook. 

    This recipe is adapted from here

    mango, Salad, Ginger, radishGoan Sanna | Goan Idly - Goa Breakfast

    A soft, fluffy Goan delicacy. A Goan variant to the South Indian Idly.

    Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 12 mins | Total time: 10 hrs 30 Mins | Serves: ~25

    Ingredients

    • 1.5 Cups Puzhungal Arisi | Parboiled rice (Idly rice)
    • 1 Cup Pachai Arisi | Raw Rice (any small grained rice) (2)
    • ¼ Cup Muzhu Ulundhu | Husked whole black gram
    • 1 teaspoon Active dry Yeast
    • 4 teaspoon Sugar, divided (3)
    • 3 tablespoon Warm Water (for yeast solution)
    • Salt to taste

    Instructions

    1. Soak rice and dal in water overnight. Drain the water and grind it this to a smooth batter. Add water only if, grinding it is difficult. Sprinkle little at a time and grind it to a smooth, fluffy batter. (4)
    2. Meanwhile, mix a teaspoon of yeast and teaspoon of sugar in warm water. Allow it to set for 10 mins. Once the yeast activates, it will become frothy. 
    3. Mix this yeast solution in the ground batter, add salt, remaining sugar and mix well.  
    4. Cover the batter and allow it to rise for about 1.5 to 2 hours. Leave it in a warm place. 
    5. For making the sannas, Once the batter rises and doubles in volume, mix it once and gently.  (5)
    6. Pour the batter in small cups and steam it in a idly pan or any steamer. Alternatively, you can steam it in a idly cooker too. Steam it for about 10-12 mins. 
    7. Check by inserting toothpick to see if it comes out clean and cooked thoroughly inside. 
    8. Allow it to cool and then transfer it to a plate. 

    Notes

    1. Serving suggestions: These are served with some Goan pork curries. But you can also serve this with chutneys or like I did with Kadala curry. 
    2. You can use the Goan rice variety if you get it in your place instead of the regular rice. 
    3. Amount of sugar depends on your preference for sweetness. 1 teaspoon for yeast is needed and another teaspoon for the batter. This salt and sugar combination is the important highlight of these sannas. Other than this you can vary the amount of sugar. 
    4. Preparing the batter is just like doing it for making idlys. When you are making large batches, grind ulundhu separately until it is smooth and creamy. This helps in giving the fluffy soft texture. You can double the recipe for large quantities. 
    5. Do not over mix the batter. There are chances of getting a hard sanna instead of a soft one. 

    This post falls under Goa, in the south west of coastal India. Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM# 39

    Also sending this to Come, join us for breakfast event hosted by Srivalli @ Cooking for all seasons. 

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. vaishali sabnani says

      July 10, 2014 at 10:35 am

      Another delicious soft and spongy idli..the melt in the mouth kinds..zuper..fantastic.

      Reply
    2. Sapana Behl says

      May 19, 2014 at 3:59 pm

      Very soft and fluffy idlis ! lovely....

      Reply
    3. Sreevalli E says

      May 02, 2014 at 3:27 am

      Lovely read of your post.. Those idly's are making me hungry now. Yum

      Reply
    4. Sandhya Ramakrishnan says

      April 18, 2014 at 2:18 am

      You cannot have studied in a better place. lovely sannas and I loved how you made them in the regular idli plates. I ended up borrowing bowls from my friend to make them 🙂

      Reply
    5. Pavani N says

      April 17, 2014 at 2:58 am

      Lovely post Nisha.. College days are always the best and you are so lucky to have it in Goa..
      Those Goan idlis look just perfect -- fluffy and delicious. Will have to try these soon.

      Reply
    6. Archana Potdar says

      April 13, 2014 at 4:30 pm

      Enjoyed reading about your college life Nisha. Were you at MES College?Sannas look good.Sannas I have had are sweetish and with coconut and jaggary.

      Reply
    7. Srivalli says

      April 13, 2014 at 5:46 am

      Nice to know you did your college there Nisha..enjoyed reading about it..and sannas look fantastic with the curry!

      Reply
    8. Chef Mireille says

      April 13, 2014 at 12:29 am

      look so soft and fluffy

      Reply
    9. Harini-Jaya R says

      April 11, 2014 at 12:26 am

      Good one, Nisha. Had made this for ICC.

      Reply
    10. Nalini's Kitchen says

      April 10, 2014 at 2:02 am

      Soft and spongy looking sanna,nice write up...

      Reply
    11. Gayathri Kumar says

      April 08, 2014 at 11:21 am

      Nice to read about your college days in Goa. Goan idlis look fabulous...

      Reply
    12. Priya Suresh says

      April 08, 2014 at 10:22 am

      Very spongy and softy sannas, would love to have them for my breakfast even everyday.

      Reply
    13. Jayanthi Padmanabhan says

      April 08, 2014 at 9:04 am

      nice writeup.. really enjoyed reading it, almost missed the recipe. it was that interesting

      Reply
    14. Nivedhanams Sowmya says

      April 08, 2014 at 5:13 am

      so soft and so spongy!!! so tempting!

      Reply
    15. Manjula Bharath says

      April 08, 2014 at 4:55 am

      wow lovely post and fantastic sannas dear 🙂 perfectly done and very well captured !!

      Reply
    16. Usha says

      April 08, 2014 at 3:27 am

      These look so much like the idly. Apt dish for the state.

      Reply
    17. Varadas Kitchen says

      April 08, 2014 at 3:15 am

      Enjoyed reading memories from your college days. The sanna turned out great.

      Reply

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