MORINGA LEAVES INSTANT SANNA KHOTTO/SAVORY STEAMED IDLIS

Moringa Leaves Instant Sanna Khotto/idli, savory and spicy steamed instant rice-coconut cakes with healthy and nutritious moringa leaves!

Our community, (GSBs or Gowda Saraswat Brahmins; in southern India), has one of the most unique cuisines with dishes that use minimal spices; case in point Daalithoy, Soorna Koota, Kadgi Chakko etc. All these dishes use only one or two spices unlike north Indian dishes which have a plethora of spices to flavor the dish!

WHAT IS SANNA KHOTTO?

One of the most savored and in demand dish is “Sanna Khotto”, a spicy idli with a coconut masala. These savory, spicy steamed cakes are traditionally served as a side dish with rice, daalithoy (Konkani style dal) and a simple vegetable stir fry called "Upkari"!

Traditional sanna khotto has a rice-tuvar dal (split pigeon peas) paste mixed with a spicy coconut masala. The basic coconut masala we make to flavor most of our dishes has grated coconut, roasted red chilies and a bit of tamarind blended to a fine/coarse paste depending upon the dish.

Sanna khotto calls for a coarse coconut paste. This then is blended with soaked rice and tuvar dal to a thick mixture and then steamed in an idli steamer until soft and fully cooked. For variations, we stir in finely chopped cabbage, onions or any leafy green like spinach and sometimes moringa leaves.

MORINGA LEAVES INSTANT SANNA KHOTTO:

For an instant version, I have used rice rava or coarse rice powder easily available in Indian stores. You can make your own by soaking rice for a couple of hours, air drying completely and then blending it to make a coarse powder.

We have a huge moringa tree with continuous fresh supply of moringa leaves and moringa/drumsticks when in season. Moringa is known for its high nutrient value (you can call it a super food!), so I always try to add it to various dishes like in this moringa dosa!

The leaves are the most nutritious part of the plant, being a significant source of vitamins (B, C, A and K), manganese, protein and essential nutrients along with many other medicinal benefits!

For this sanna khotto, stir in soaked rice rava to the basic coconut masala, along with finely chopped moringa leaves. Once mixed, steam in an idli steamer or even in small bowls to make moringa leaves sanna khotto.

You can add more texture and flavor by stirring in some finely chopped onions or hing/asafetida powder. If you cannot find moringa leaves, use finely chopped cabbage, onions, spinach etc.!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Steamed, savory and spicy moringa leaves instant sanna khotto goes so, so well with a splash of coconut oil drizzled on top!! We enjoyed it for lunch along with some black channa upkari, chana saaru, and mango, corn and sprouts salad!

BONUS RECIPE WITH LEFTOVER SANNA KHOTTO:

Whenever I have leftover sanna khotto (sometimes I make extra just to make this!), my favorite way to use them up is in sanna khotta usli or upma!

Just crumble leftover idlis and keep aside. In a kadai/saucepan, heat coconut oil and add mustard seeds. Once it splutters, stir in finely chopped onions and curry leaves and saute for a couple of minutes until onions are slightly soft.

Stir in crumbled sanna khotto and mix well. Cook on medium low heat until heated through. Sprinkle some freshly grated coconut and mix to combine and serve hot as a side dish with any meal! I love to make a full meal of this too!

Hope you enjoy this traditional Konkani specialty we love to relish in our home and if you can find moringa leaves, you must try adding it to dals, curries, dosas etc. and savor nature’s medicinal gift to mankind!

UPDATED DECEMBER 17, 2020:

A few days back, I had a bunch of fresh salad greens which needed to be used up soon, so I decided to chop them up and add them in my sanna khotto batter along with some freshly chopped coriander leaves. As expected, they came out absolutely delicious, soft and fluffy!

The next day, I used up the leftover sanna idlis to make sanna khotto usli; recipe given above. This is another Konkani delight which I love to dig into as a snack too!

Happy Cooking Foodies!

Yum

MORINGA LEAVES SANNA KHOTTO/SAVORY STEAMED IDLIS

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 12

Moringa leaves sanna khotto/idli, savory and spicy steamed rice-coconut cakes with healthy and nutritious moringa leaves!

Ingredients

1 cup loosely packed grated coconut (fresh/frozen)
6 to 8 roasted dry red chilies (roast in a pan for a few seconds)
1 small marble-sized piece of fresh tamarind/1/2 tsp tamarind paste
2 cups moringa/drumstick leaves, finely chopped
1 ¼ cups idli rava /coarse rice powder
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon hing /asafetida powder
Coconut oil (to drizzle on top) for serving

Instructions

Pick moringa leaves, discarding all the tough stems. Wash in plenty of water and let drain. Chop finely.
Soak rice rava in just enough water (enough to cover it) for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Blend grated coconut, red chilies and tamarind to a slightly fine paste (need not be too fine) with a little water. Remove to a large mixing bowl.
To this, add chopped moringa leaves, soaked and drained idli rava, salt and hing powder. Mix well to combine.
Use as little water as possible. The coconut masala will have enough water to soak up the rice grains.
Leave aside for 15 minutes to allow the rice rava to soak.
Add water to an idli cooker /steamer and allow to heat.
Grease the indentations in the idli stand with a bit of oil. Gently spoon the sanna khotto/idli batter into each indentation.
Place in hot steamer; steam for about 15-20 minutes. Check with a knife or toothpick to make sure it is fully cooked.
Remove from plates when slightly cool.
Serve warm with a drizzle of coconut oil on top!
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

Notes

For a traditional sanna khotto, soak ½ cup each of rice and tuvar dal for a couple of hours, drain and blend along with the coconut masala to a coarse paste. Steam as mentioned.

If you cannot find moringa leaves, you can use finely chopped cabbage, spinach leaves with/without finely chopped onions.

If you cannot find idli steamer, you can steam these savory, spicy cakes on a plate or in a cake pan and cut into desired size pieces!

Adjust the amount of red chilies according to taste.

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STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE MORINGA LEAVES SANNA KHOTTO:

Pick moringa leaves, discarding all the tough stems. Wash in plenty of water and let drain. Chop finely.

Soak rice rava in just enough water (enough to cover it) for about 10 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Blend grated coconut, red chilies and tamarind to a paste (not too fine, can be slightly coarse) with a little water. Remove to a large mixing bowl.