Jackfruit Sandon is a delicious Goan style steamed rice cake flavored with jackfruit pulp. It is sweet, dense, and soft, and can be enjoyed for breakfast or as a light snack!
The Konkan region and southern India are blessed with an abundance of jackfruits! The jackfruit has a distinct aroma and a sweet taste. It comes in 2 varieties, one is hard called kappa and the other is the soft variety called rassal. I prefer the rassal variety, simply coz when it’s ripe it just melts in the mouth.
A lot of people irk at the very mention of the word jackfruit, it is not everyone’s cup of tea and its taste is something that has to be acquired. I have been enjoying this exotic fruit every summer vacations spent in Goa, and so I love it ever since I was a child!
It’s not very easy to spot them here in the US, except for the Indian and Asian stores I guess. I spotted one at the Asian store when my in-laws had visited us last year and of course, I was so excited to see the jackfruit even though it was not the soft variety.
My Mum in law made this jackfruit sandon. Surprisingly, I don’t know how but I hadn’t tasted it until she made it, now being an avid jackfruit lover and all things sweetened with cardamom and jaggery, I loved it.
So the other day when I saw jackfruit at the store again, I decided on making this jackfruit sandon and sharing it on the blog. A sandon is nothing but a steamed rice cake, and here it’s flavored with jackfruit pulp, so it’s a jackfruit sandon. Sandon or sannas as basically a Goan version of South Indian idli’s.
Table of Contents
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STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE JACKFRUIT SANDON | STEAMED GOAN JACKFRUIT CAKE
1.Pick , wash and soak the rice. Leave it overnight, next morning grind it to a smooth yet thick batter using about 1 & 1/4 cups water approx. Add water gradually and grind.
2.Clean the jackfruit arils well, remove the seed. Make a purée of jackfruit using less than 1/4 cup of water. You may not need to add any water for the soft variety.
3.In a mixing bowl, add ground rice, jackfruit purée, cardamom powder, salt, and jaggery. Mix well to incorporate everything, you can taste little of the batter and adjust sweetness adding more jaggery if required. You can also add some finely chopped jackfruit pieces for additional texture.
4.Transfer about 2 tablespoons of batter to a greased idli plate, or transfer to the entire batter to a greased 9-inch cake tin.
5.Heat little water in the idli steamer, bring to a boil, now transfer the idli rack to the steamer, cover with lid and steam for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6.Once it’s slightly warm, unmould the sandon with the help of a blunt knife, Enjoy these warm for breakfast.
NOTES
1.Although this is soft, this is supposed to be dense and not as fluffy as regular idli, as it is not fermented. However, if you want a soft and spongy texture, you may add about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or eno into the batter, mix well and steam immediately. Do not let the batter sit once baking soda is added. Alternatively, you can also ferment the batter with yeast until it doubles and then proceed with the steaming.
2.For an additional flavor, use coconut milk instead of water for grinding the batter.
HOW TO MAKE JACKFRUIT SANDON | STEAMED GOAN JACKFRUIT CAKE?
Jackfruit Sandon (Steamed Goan Jackfruit Rice Cake )
Ingredients
Measuring cup used, 1 cup = 250 ml, 1 tsp = 5 ml
- 2 cups parboiled rice
- about 12-14 jackfruit pods (1 & 1/4 cup jackfruit purée), I used the kappa variety, but please do use the rassal variety if you can get them
- 1/2 tsp cardamom powder
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 to 2 tsp clarified butter ghee
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugarcane jaggery, adjust as per desired sweetness, also take into account the sweetness of jackfruit
Instructions
- Pick , wash and soak the rice. Leave it overnight, next morning grind it to a smooth yet thick batter using about 1 & 1/4 cups water approx. Add water gradually and grind.
- Clean the jackfruit arils well, remove the seed. Make a purée of jackfruit using less than 1/4 cup of water. You may not need to add any water for the soft variety.
- In a mixing bowl, add ground rice, jackfruit purée, cardamom powder, salt, and jaggery. Mix well to incorporate everything, you can taste little of the batter and adjust sweetness adding more jaggery if required. You can also add some finely chopped jackfruit pieces for additional texture.
- Transfer about 2 tablespoons of batter to a greased idli plate, or transfer to the entire batter to a greased 9-inch cake tin.
- Heat little water in the idli steamer, bring to a boil, now transfer the idli rack to the steamer, cover with lid and steam for about 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Once it's slightly warm, unmould the sandon with the help of a blunt knife, Enjoy these warm for breakfast.
Notes
- Although this is soft, this is supposed to be dense and not as fluffy as regular idli, as it is not fermented. However, if you want a soft and spongy texture, you may add about 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon baking soda or eno into the batter, mix well and steam immediately. Do not let the batter sit once baking soda is added. Alternatively, you can also ferment the batter with yeast until it doubles and then proceed with the steaming.
- For an additional flavor, use coconut milk instead of water for grinding the batter.
I would love to hear from you, please feel free to share your feedback with photos and suggestions to me at [email protected]
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Regards,
Freda
Valerie Antao says
Tried your jackfruit recipe ,it was lovely ,only variation was I added freshcoconut n ground it with the rice. Thanks
hummingbirdthyme says
Lovely, Freda! I don’t think I’ve ever tried jackfruit (sadly) but maybe will seek it out! Thanks for the recipe.
Freda Dias says
My pleasure, Laura 🙂
Love Served Daily says
Very interesting
Freda Dias says
Thanks dear 🙂
thatmishmash says
Never had these before I used to love jackfrui saath ( I don’t know if I have spelt that right) and bikhnachi kodhi ( do you have a post on that too?). These look yum . Your posts are so informative about Goan cuisine Freda. Thank God I found you !
Freda Dias says
I’m not sure if this is called by another name. Thanks dear 🙂 Glad to have connected with you too!
Lynz Real Cooking says
Very different and lovely Freda xo
Freda Dias says
Thanks so much, dear 🙂
Lynz Real Cooking says
xoxo
IreneDesign2011 says
This looks very delicious, Freda 🙂
I will admit, that I never heard about Jackfruit before, so I needed to google to find out more and I saw, that the seeds are used too, at least here in Spain. Do you also use the seeds?
Freda Dias says
Hi Irene! Yes we use the seeds too, normally they are roasted or cooked in boiling water and consumed as such, it’s delicious!
IreneDesign2011 says
Thank you for this information Freda, I will try the fruit, when I find it here.
Freda Dias says
That’s great, Irene 🙂 Hope you enjoy it!
Archana says
Superb post, recipe and pictures!! Love jackfruit never tried cooking anything with it. Would love to try this. Great Job Freda!!
Freda Dias says
Thanks a lot Archana 🙂
ALBONI says
Supperb steamed cakes …. never heard of it before …. will surely try it ….. plz visit my blog too and share your valuable comments. Thank you. http://Www.bonishealthytwists.blogspot.com
Freda Dias says
Thanks Alboni 🙂
CHCooks says
As I saw your picture, I thought they resembled idlis! 🙂 I love love love jackfruit and this is something I know I will love for sure 🙂 Awesome share Freda!
Freda Dias says
Thanks a lot dear 🙂
milliethom says
What an interesting recipe, Freda. I’ve only tried jackfruit once and I confess, I wasn’t keen on it. I really don’t know which type it was because I’d never even heard of jackfruit before then. The sandons/rice cakes look lovely, though, so perhaps I should give the jackfruit a second try!
Freda Dias says
Yes Millie! It does take some time to begin liking this, the two varieties are quite noticeable, soft ones simply melt in your mouth and are sweeter as opposed to the hard ones. Raw jackfruits make for a great substitute to meats, so this fruit is really versatile 🙂
srividhya says
This is super awesome.. Love those wonderful clicks and its amazing right how similar foods are presented in each and every region. Yet to explore konkani foods. Great share.
Freda Dias says
Yeah absolutely! Thanks Srividhya 🙂