The Idli Project
Broken Wheat Sannan
Konkani Specialty

Broken Wheat Sannan

also called Dalia Sannan

A semi-coarse Konkani sweet sannan steamed in a single vessel and cut into squares - the texture is the point.

Konkani Saraswat households

Image: AI generated · Generated asset · Original image generated for The Idli Project.

Broken Wheat Sannan is a single-vessel sannan: instead of small individual cakes, the batter is poured into one wide greased pan, steamed whole, then cut into squares like a tray-bake. The sweetener is jaggery, the perfume is cardamom, and the deliberately coarse grind - visible flecks of coconut and broken wheat throughout - is what makes it Konkani sannan rather than just another steamed sweet.

Made for festivals and naivedyam, but eats just as well as an everyday tea-time slice with chai.

The Recipe

Yield · ~12 squares (5 cm each), cut from a single steamed cake

Effort profile

Soak3–4 hours
Ferment8–10 hours
Steam20 minutes
Steps6

Each axis is scaled against the longest example in the archive.

Soak3h 30mFerment9hSteam20mSteps6

Ingredients

Batter

  • 1 cup broken wheat / dalia
  • ¾ cup grated coconut (fresh or desiccated)
  • ¾ cup jaggery
  • Seeds from 2 cardamom pods
  • Pinch of salt
  • Ghee for greasing the steaming vessel

Method

  1. 1.

    Soak the broken wheat in three times its volume of water for 3–4 hours.

  2. 2.

    Drain completely.

  3. 3.

    In a mixie, combine the soaked wheat, coconut, jaggery, cardamom seeds and salt. Grind to a *semi-coarse* paste - start dry, then add water 1 tbsp at a time only as needed (typically ~4 tbsp total). The texture should still bite, not be a smooth batter.

  4. 4.

    Generously grease an 18 cm round vessel with ghee. Pour the batter in, smooth the top.

  5. 5.

    Steam ~20 minutes, until a knife inserted in the centre comes out clean.

  6. 6.

    Cool, then slice into ~5 cm squares.

Serve with

as is, with chaidoubles as a homely dessert and an evening snack

Notes

Adjust jaggery to taste. The batter is intentionally coarse - those visible coconut and wheat pieces are what set Konkani sannan apart from a smooth steamed cake.

Adapted from healthy-cooking-with-mitha.com.

Where it's from

Mangalore, Karnataka · 12.91°N, 74.86°E