Sweet Idli (Doodh sannana / Sandana)

Number of Idlis: 12-16

How long it takes: 30 minutes to cook (other than grinding/fermenting)

This is a delicacy of the G.S.B families especially from the south canara region.  It is prepared whenever we have a lot of coconut at our disposal – coconut that is fresh and not ripe too. It helps the dish turn soft and aromatic too.  Some people use cooking soda and prepare it without fermenting the dough. I prefer to ferment the dough naturally so that Idlis are themselves natural without the odor of the soda. Here is my version of the dish.

What you need to have:

1. Rice sujee – 1 cup

2. Fresh grated coconut – 1 cup(3/4 if tender as mentioned)

3. Puffed paddy – 2 cups

4. Jaggery – 3/4 cup

5. Milk – 1/4 cup

6. Curds – A pinch

7. cashews & raisins –  As needed

8. Cardamom powder – 1/2 Teaspoon

9. Salt – A pinch

                                                                         Ingredients of sweet idli

                                                                     Other ingredients of the dish

What you do with what you have:

1. Chop jaggery, grate coconut, chop cashews , peel and powder cardamom and keep it aside.

2. Soak puffed paddy in water for about an hour in 1/2 cup water. It turns completely smooth and ready to grind.  Also just dampen rice sujee and keep it aside.

3. Grind coconut, puffed paddy in the grinder adding water so that it is easy for you to run the mixer to a fine consistency.

4. Transfer the grind mix to a bowl and mix drenched rice sujee to it. Also add chopped jaggery from step 1 to it and make a dough so that the consistency of the dough is like it is a free fall from a serving spatula adding milk and curds to to it.  Add cardamom powder and a pinch of salt to it and allow to ferment.

                                                                 Grind sweet idli dough

5. Allow it to ferment for over 12 hours and the dough is as shown in the image below.  Add dry fruits  and give it a strong stir with your hands.

       Fermented sweet idli dough

6. Place a wide idli cooking bowl on the flame with water in it and close it with a lid.  Grease the Idli mould with ghee and pour the dough in each mould and place the idli stand in it  and stem it for over 30 minutes.  Just prick with the back of a spoon or a knife and if it comes out clean then it is sure to be done.

Idlis being steamed

7. When done transfer it to serving plate and enjoy either plain or with butter.

Steamed sweet idli

Ready to serve sweet idli

Good to remember:

1. Just wash the store bought rice rava and keep it aside.  Since I prepare rice rava at home i just drenched it.

2. Make the dough in such a way that it is a little watery and will be just right on fermentation.

3. Quantity of jaggery depends upon your own palate. Feel free to add your favorite dry fruits!

4. It takes normally 25-30 minutes to cook since it is sweet and the ingredients like coconut take a long time to cook with jaggery as well.

5. Adding cooking soda and preparing idli  without fermenting is one’s choice for sure!!!!!!!!!