Sanja also known as tikhat sheera is a delicious, nutritious Maharashtrian breakfast recipe made with rava / sooji / semolina along with aromatic herbs.
This is a quick, easy and simple vegan recipe best for beginners & bachelors that can be made in just under 20 minutes if you have roasted rava / semolina at hand.
About Sanja (Maharashtrian Breakfast Recipe)
This sanja (tikhat sheera) is one of the most loved and filling breakfast recipes loved by kids and adults.
You will find this sanja made in almost every Maharashtrian household for morning breakfast or evening snacks served along with tea.
Sanja (tikhat sheera) is quite similar to upma but it tastes totally different. If you are bored eating upma then you need to try this sanja, you are going to love it!
Unlike upma which is quite popular all over the country and available at most restaurants, you will hardly come across any restaurant or food carts that sell sanja. Hence making sanja is at home always feels special.
Sanja is often served with roasted peanuts or pickles by the side, garnished with freshly scraped coconut and coriander leaves (cilantro).
At home, I often make this tikhat sheera for light dinner or lunch as itโs quite filling and satisfy my hunger pangs.
A well-made sheera / sanja makes a delicious, fluffy recipe bursting with flavours in every morsel.
Whether you have just started cooking or are a professional cook, you are going to enjoy making this sanja.
Pro-tip โ At home, once you buy sooji / semolina / rava, dry roast it till it released a nice aroma. Once roasted, cool it and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Whenever you are in the mood to make sanja or upma, you can use this roasted sooji to make these quick snacks.
This roasted sooji stays good for a longer time. Having roasted rava at hand reduces time and makes it easy to whip up this sanja or upma in just under 15-20 minutes.
To make this Maharashtrian sanja (tikhat sheera) I normally use a fine variety of sooji but the thick granular variety also makes a nice fluffy sanja. Itโs a personal choice here.
To make sanja, we need to saute onions in flavourful tempering of curry leaves, green chillies, and turmeric. Add water and when water comes to a boil add seasonings and pour sooji / rava in a slow stream into the boiling water, this way the sooji is nicely incorporated evenly in water without forming any lumps.
This perfect Maharashtrian breakfast recipe is a healthy, easy-to-make recipe rich in flavours.
I normally make plain sanja at home, you can go ahead and add vegetables like tomatoes and green peas.
What is Sanja?
Sanja is a popular savoury Maharashtrian breakfast recipe made with sooji / rava / semolina infused with curry leaves, green chillies, and onions. It is somewhat similar to upma but tastes totally different. Sanja is often made in oil, unlike upma which is made in ghee.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this sanja with roasted peanuts, sev, lemon or pickle. A cup of tea or coffee goes very well with it.
Serve this sanja (tikhat sheera) for breakfast or evening snack, garnish with coconut and coriander leaves.
Variations
You can add thinly sliced potatoes, tomatoes and green peas in the tempering. Add vegetable will enhance the taste and texture of this tikhat sheera (sanja).
Ingredients
Rava / Sooji / Semolina โ We need one cup roasted rava / semolina. Roast the rava till it gives out nice aroma and light golden brown.
Onions โ We will require finely chopped onions. I have used one large size oninon here.
Herbs & Spices โ To make thi sanja, we will need curry leaves, green chillies, mustard seeds, turmeric powder, hing (asafoetida) which will go in tempering.
Seasonings โ We will require salt to taste and a teaspoon of sugar. Sugar helps balance the flavour of this sanja.
Garnish โ We will garnish this sanja with finely chopped coriander leaves (cilantro) and freshly scrapped coconut.
Oil โ Sanja are mostly done in oil unlike upma. We will require 2 tablespoons of oil for this recipe.
Water โ We need to add the roasted sooji to the boiling water, I have used 2 1/2 cup of water which makes this sanja nice fluffy and lump free.
How To Make Maharashtrian Sanja Recipe (Tikhat Meethacha Sheera)
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Recipe Card
Sanja (Tikhat Meethacha Sheera)
Ingredientsย ย
- 1 cup Rawa / Sooji / Semolina
- 1 large Onion, finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Mustard Seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon Turmeric Powder
- 1/4th teaspoon Hing
- 5-6 Curry Leaves
- 2 Green Chillies, finely choped
- 1 teaspoon Sugar
- Salt to taste
- 2 1/2 cups Water
- 2 tablespoons Coriander Leaves, to garnish
- tablespoon Freshly Scrapped Coconut, to garnish
- 1 1/2 tablespoons Oil
Instructionsย
- Heat pan, add sooji / rava and dry roast on medium flame till it releases a nice aroma and gets light golden brown.
- Transfer the roasted rava / semolina to a flat plate to cool it down. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds and let them splutter. Add turmeric powder and hing (asafoetida), chopped green chillies, and curry leaves.
- Add finely chopped onions. Saute onions till they are cooked well.
- Add water, sugar and salt. Let the water come to a boil.
- Once the water starts boiling, add the rava in a slow stream making sure no lumps are formed, you need to mix the rava as you pour it into the water.
- Mix rava / semolina well. Cover and cook the sanja on low heat for about 5-6 minutes. Stir occasionally.
- After 5-6 minutes, after getting nicely steamed, add finely chopped coriander leaves and mix well.
- Our sanja (tikhat sheera) is ready.
- Garnish with cilantro and freshly scrapped coconut.
