Sannas (Goan steamed rice cakes)
Vegetarian
सान्नां · sannam
Soft, spongy steamed cakes of rice and coconut leavened traditionally with palm toddy (here with yeast), lightly sweet and fluffier than idli. The partner to Goan pork sorpotel and xacuti at feasts.
Sannas (Goan steamed rice cakes) is a Goan bread from India, ready in about 50 minutes and made with long-grain white rice and coconut. It serves 6 and is rated intermediate to cook.
No licensed photograph of this dish yet.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Serves
- 6
- Level
- Intermediate
- Calories
- 304
Plus 5–6 hours soaking and 6–8 hours fermenting.
Ingredients
To help the batter rise
Method
Step 1
Dissolve 1 tsp of the sugar (opens in a new tab) in 50 ml of the lukewarm water, sprinkle over the yeast and leave for 10 minutes until frothy.
- 10 min
How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels Step 2
Drain the soaked rice and blend with the coconut (opens in a new tab), the soft cooked rice and the rest of the water to a very smooth, thick batter, a little thicker than idli batter. Rub a drop between your fingers; it should feel only slightly grainy.
Step 3
Stir the yeast mixture and the remaining sugar (opens in a new tab) into the batter. Cover and leave in a warm place (about 28–32 °C) for 6–8 hours, until doubled and full of bubbles. Stir in the salt.
Step 4
Bring water to the boil in a steamer (opens in a new tab). Grease small bowls, idli moulds or a sanna steamer with coconut oil (opens in a new tab) and fill them three-quarters full with batter without stirring it down.
Step 5
Steam on high heat for 12–15 minutes, until risen and a skewer comes out clean. Rest for 3 minutes, then turn out. Repeat with the remaining batter.
- 30 min
- high heat
- Steamer (opens in a new tab)
Do not open the steamer for the first 10 minutes or the sannas may sink.
About this dish
- Origin
- Goa and coastal Konkan, Goa, India · Well documentedMade by Goan Catholic families for feasts; Mangalorean Catholics make very similar sannas.More food from India
- Dish
- Breakfast · Lunch · Dinner · Breads & flatbreads
- Cooking method
- Fermented, Steamed
- Taste
- mild, sweet, sour
- Diet
- Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredientsWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free - Good for
- Festive & celebration · Make-ahead · Freezer-friendly
- Cook more with
- Long-grain white rice · Coconut · Sugar · Dried yeast · Coconut oil
- Techniques
- Steaming · Fermentation
Allergens
None of the 14 major allergens appear in the listed ingredients.
Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.
Nutrition
304 kcal per serving
Calculated1 serving ≈ 125 g · recipe makes 6
Where the energy comes from
- Protein 6%
- Carbohydrate 71%
- Fat 23%
| Nutrient | Per serving | Per 100 g* |
|---|---|---|
| Energy | 304 kcal | 243 kcal |
| Protein | 4.8 g | 3.8 g |
| Carbohydrate | 53.5 g | 42.7 g |
| Net carbohydrate | 50.9 g | 40.6 g |
| Sugars | 7.6 g | 6.1 g |
| Added sugars | 6.3 g | 5 g |
| Fibre | 2.6 g | 2.1 g |
| Fat | 7.8 g | 6.3 g |
| Saturated fat | 6.7 g | 5.3 g |
| Trans fat | — | — |
| Cholesterol | 0 mg | 0 mg |
| Sodium | 396 mg | 317 mg |
| Salt equivalent | 1 g | 0.8 g |
Vitamins & minerals per serving
- Potassium
- 139 mg
- Calcium
- 23 mg
- Iron
- 2.9 mg
- Magnesium
- 21 mg
- Vitamin A (RAE)
- 0 µg
- Vitamin C
- 1 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0 µg
- Vitamin B12
- 0 µg
- Folate (DFE)
- 230 µg
How these numbers were made
- Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
- *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
- “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
- Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.
Good to know
Tips
- Sannas should be noticeably fluffier and more cake-like than idli; if they are dense, the batter was under-fermented or too thin.
Common mistakes
- Stirring the risen batter hard before steaming — it knocks out the air.
Serve with
- Serve warm with pork sorpotel, chicken xacuti, Goan fish curry or prawn balchão.
- Sweet sannas are eaten with tea.
Food safety
- Ferment covered in a clean bowl and refrigerate once risen; discard batter that smells rotten (not just sour) or shows mould.
Storage
- Keeps 2 days refrigerated or 2 months frozen.
Reheating
- Steam for 5 minutes until soft and hot.
Variations
- Toddy sannas: Leavened with fresh coconut-palm toddy, which gives a distinctive tang and aroma.
- Sweet sannas: Made with jaggery and more coconut for a teatime cake.
Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated
Recipe DNA
How this dish is built
Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.
What the dish is built around
Main ingredient
- Long-grain white rice, raw short- or medium-grain rice, soaked 5–6 hours300 g
- Coconut, freshly grated120 g
Reviews & corrections
Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.
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