The Veggie Indian: Sannas - Mangalorean Sweet Idlis

I have always been very bad with Breakfasts... When I started blogging almost two years ago, all I could make was Rava Idli and if I am too lucky may be Vermicilli upma some times but that was it really. The only thing I could think of was Paranthas, since that was what I have had all my life on Weekends. Being Punjabi, Paranthas were the ultimate choice for every Sunday Brunch and we never let Mum to make any exception to that one. After my marriage, things took a roll and I started thinking beyond this stuffy, oily flatbread option. Although I now make a variety of Paranthas with healthier stuffing and way less oil like this Paneer-Cabbage Parantha, Palak-Paneer Parantha, Lachha Parantha and this amazing low fat Khasta Pranatha, but then this treat is only restricted to Sundays Brunch now. And on Saturdays I cook something which is not that heavy so that I can go to my Dance Practice after that without feeling all sleepy and bloated.

In my advent of moving towards other Cuisines, I tried many new things like Khandvi, Sarva Pindi (rice flour flatbread), Peetha (steamed lentil dumplings), and then the good old Upma and Poha etc... But Idli and Dosa still tops the choices. My bad luck, S is not keen on South Indian dishes that much but I still manage to get him down on Saturdays for these amazing dishes I love;)

Idli is such a wonderful thing to eat, filled with goodness and taste it is perfect choice for any health freak. But the problem lies in the mundane flavour, which leaves almost no room to experiment. Other than the Rava Idli, or Masala Idli I never got any chance to experiment with the texture or taste. And if ever I tried mixing anything it was a disaster always. Either it never came out right or didn't even cook properly. The closest I got was this colorful Idli assortment where I mixed some Purees like Spinach or Tomato to get the best out of the two and this Quinoa Idli. Thats it !!

I am sure my South Indian friends would differ, but having lived in Northern part of India it gets really difficult to differentiate between the Southern regional tastes and flavours. So when Srivalli announced this Challenge for ICC to make Sannas, a kind of Mangalorean Idlis, I thought I wont find any difference in this too. Surprisingly, and in a good way, it was not the case. These Sannas are being prepared in slightly different way than the usual Idlis- with Yeast. And this imparts a very subtle stream of flavours which you can easily distinguish from the regular idlis. The addition of Sugar was optional in this but I still did that just to get the actual feeling and taste.

The recipe is being taken from Shireen's blog Ruchik Randhap, which is an amazing collection of all authentic recipes from the region. I love when people Blog about their Authentic and traditional recipes and this girl has done that in very detailed and descriptive style. She almost takes you on a virtual ride to her home town with her posts. Hats off and thanks to both Srivalli and Shireen for this wonderful addition to my Breakfast list.

What you need ?

1 ½ Cup Parboiled rice ( known as Easy Cook rice here )

½ cup Normal rice

¼ Cup Urad Dal

A good pinch of Salt

2 tsp Sugar

For preparing the Yeast solution

1 tbsp. Yeast

1 tsp Sugar

½ cup Warm Water

How to Make?

Wash and soak the two types of rice and Urad dal separately for 3-4 hours
First grind the Urad dal to a fine paste using very little water, and keep aside. Then grind both types of rice together to a fine thick batter and transfer to a big bowl.
Prepare the yeast solution by mixing the yeast and sugar in a bowl of lukewarm water. The sugar helps the yeast to dissolve faster. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, the yeast will ferment and turn frothy.
To the idli batter, mix the yeast solution until completely incorporated and add sugar and salt to taste
Mix well, cover it and place it undisturbed in a warm place to ferment for about 1- 2 hours. The batter would have doubled by now. Remember - for fluffy Sannas do not stir the batter or it will go flat.
Pour in the Sanna Batter into the small bowls ( Katoris/ Vaatis) and place them on the Idli steamer. Steam for 15-20 minutes as usual Idlis.
Once they are steamed, remove and tilt to remove the cooked sannas. Traditionally its served with some Non-Veg gravy on side, but I had it with Chutneys and Sambhar.. The sweet taste balances out the gravy very well.

My Notes:

As you can see in the step by step pictures from Valli, these Sannas are being made in small bowls. I only had one so I made the bigger one in the picture in that bowl and the rest was simply made in usual Idli moulds.
These were soft and fluffy even when cold and I think thats the speciality, unlike the usual Idlis which get harder when kept at room temperature for long
Even with the sugar in it, the Sannas went really well with the Gravies, although you can skip the sugar completely it will blend with yeast for that unique flavour.