Surnoli is a wonderful light-on-the-stomach sweet dosa made with rice, coconut and jaggery. From what I have read on the Internet, it is a part of the Saraswat cuisine and is quite a popular breakfast in Goa, Mangalore and other such regions where there is a concentration of Saraswat Brahmins.
Surnoli | A Sweet Dosa for Breakfast in Mangalore and Goa
What fascinated me about Surnoli was its golden hue and its fluffy, porous texture. I have seen stacks of Surnoli posted in various Konkani food groups and have always been meaning to try it. I got the perfect opportunity this month when I got Rice and Coconut as my secret ingredient to make a dish from Goa was the theme this month on the Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge group.
My partner for this month’s challenge is Priya Satheesh who blogs at Priya’s Menu. She has just started a #100Chutneys series that is simply stupendous. Do take the time to visit her blog and try her recipes.
Coming back to the Surnoli recipe, it is everything I imagined it to be and more. It is soft, fluffy, and just the right amount of sweet. My family and I savoured it with various accompaniments: white butter, spicy mango pickle, and tangy lime pickle. Each and every combination was a hit.
How to Make Surnoli: The Sweet Dosa from Saraswat Cuisine of Goa and Mangalore
Surnoli | A Sweet Dosa from the Saraswat Cuisine (Goa and Mangalore)
Ingredients
- 1/2 Cup Rice
- 1/4 Cup Poha
- 1/4 Cup Grated Coconut
- 1/4 Cup Grated Jaggery
- 1/4 Cup Dahi, Yogurt
- 0.25 tsp Methi Dana
- 1/2 tsp Turmeric
- 2 Large Pinches Salt
- 1/4 tsp Eno
- Water, If required
- Butter or Oil to Make Surnoli
Instructions
- Wash the rice well under running water.
- Soak the rice and methi in 1.5 cups water for at least 4 hours.
- Just before grinding, add the poha to the rice and let it soak for 1-2 minutes.
- Drain all the water.
- Grind together the soaked rice+methi+poha, jaggery, coconut, dahi, turmeric and salt to a smooth thick batterof pourable consistency. Add a little water, if required. Do not add too much water or the batter will not ferment well.
- Let the batter ferment for 6 hours or more.
- Just before making the dosa, add Eno and mix with a gentle hand. If your batter has fermented very well, you may want to skip the Eno.
- Over medium flame, heat a flat tava or a griddle and grease it with a little butter or oil.
- Pour a large ladle of batter in the centre and let the batter spread by itself. Do not spread like for a dosa.
- Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes. The surface of the Surnoli should be porous and cooked.
- Serve Surnoli hot with butter, mango pickle, or onion chutney.
Notes
- The addition of Eno just gives you a more porous Surnoli. If your batter is very well fermented, you can omit it.
Recipe with Step-by-Step Instructions to Make Surnoli, A Sweet Dosa
- Making the Surnoli Batter
- Wash the rice well till the water runs clear.
- Soak the rice and the fenugreek seeds in enough water for about 4 to 6 hours.
- After the rice has soaked, drain all the water from it.
- Just before you grind the batter for Surnoli, wash the poha well under running water and add to the wet poha to the drained rice. I just add the poha to the water the rice is soaking in and then drain everything together. If you are using the thin variety of poha (patal pohe), just add it as is while grinding without washing.
- To a large mixer grinder, add the the soaked rice, fenugreek seeds, poha, jaggery, coconut, dahi, turmeric and salt.
- Grind to a smooth thick batter that is pourable consistency. Add a little water, if required.
- Transfer the ground batter to a vessel. Cover and set aside for at least 6 6 hours for the batter to ferment. You can speed up the fermentation by using sour dahi.
- Cooking the Surnoli
- If you want a really fluffy Surnoli, just before it, gently mix Eno into the batter and wait for 5 minutes.
- In the meantime, over low to medium flame, heat a flat tava. Do not use high heat because the jaggery in the batter will cause the Surnoli to caramelize and burn quickly.
- Add a pat of butter or few drop of oil and grease the surface well.
- When the tava is hot, pour a large ladle of batter in the middle of the tava and let the batter flow into a thick dosa by itself. Do not spread like for a dosa.
- Cover the dosa and let it cook for a couple of minutes. Lift the cover at regular interval to check if the surface is cooked and porous.
- Using a flat spatula loosen the edges and remove the Surnoli into a plate. Do not flip over and cook.
- If you want a really fluffy Surnoli, just before it, gently mix Eno into the batter and wait for 5 minutes.
- Serve the warm Surnoli with butter, mango pickle, or onion chutney on the side.
Surnoli | A Dosa with Rice, Coconut and Jaggery
I am taking this wonderful sweet pancake to the Goa Cuisine collective at the Shhhhh Cooking Secretly Challenge.
I would love to try this. So many variations to a dosa, and all so very good.
looks good. Is it taste that good?? Will try it at home.
I am a Saraswat from Chitrapur Matth. We make Surnoli pretty often. This is the first time I have heard of Eno’s being put in the Surnoli recipe!!
Firstly, all these challenges bring out best recipes from us – don’t you think? What excited me earlier as well when I saw the pic on the group were those bubbles and you can make out that the recipe is a clear winner. The accompaniment options that you have mentioned made me seriously hungry. I have to make this soon.
is methi dana fenugreek? looks super soft and yum
Thank you and yes, Methi Dana = Fenugreek Seeds
Looks super soft and amazing. By reading your recipe, I can feel the taste of it.. Yum YUM. Will try it sometime for sure. So sweet of you to mention about my chutney series. Thanks a lot 🙂
I love the sound of this Surnoli! Bookmarking the recipe to try out later. 🙂
Those holes… <3 They look amazing, reminds me of their Moroccan counterpart, Beghrir which literally means thousands of holes! Hehe… I don’t think I will have this with pickle, especially considering this is partly sweet! I may have it just like that with a cup of chai… Pinning this up…
Rafeeda, it tastes great with pickle precisely because it is sweet. 🙂 It’s like eating Meethe Chawal with Aam ka Achar. 😀 😀
I had read about Surnoli back in the 90’s when my mom sourced Women’s Era Magazine and I loved reading Kitchen Queries in it..:)…suddenly reading this post I was thrown back into nostalgia – coming back from school,dawdling over lunch,reading magazines,getting scolded….sighhh!Now I finally saw what Surnoli looks like!
Love to see the perfect holes on the dish. Must be as soft as a pillow.
Bookmarking this recipe.. this is our kind of recipe, Love this sweet dosa..
those holes on surnoli looks pretty aweasome and texture looks soft….yum
Aruna, that’s one tempting pancake or dosa.. love the large holes and any excuse to have something sweet for breakfast.
Looks good
I do love this combination of ingredients – jaggery and coconut and turmeric with rice and methi seeds! Looks like it will be easier to make than a dosa, if one keeps in mind all the warnings you have given such as keeping it on low heat and not spreading the batter etc. This one is a keeper!
I like to think of them as tips!!! ?????
I know I have a tendency to be school marmy!
Will definitely try at home…….
I have eaten surnolis at relatives’ and tried too by guesstimating the recipe.
And have never got it right yet.
I loved the small tips that you thoughtfully added.
Those are the very things that creates a desired dish or a bit of disappointment.
Thank you so much.
I have just made the batter following your recipe.
And I am sure it will turn out the way right.
My hugs for posting it.
Thank you so much for your lovely message. Made my day. The proof is in the eating. Do let me know how it turned out. 🙂