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A unique Goan steamed cake made from cucumber, semolina, and jaggery. This soft, sweet, and fragrant cake is a beloved traditional snack, perfect with a cup of tea. It's naturally sweet and wonderfully moist.
Prepare Cucumber & Jaggery Base
Create the Batter
Steam the Tavsali
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A unique Goan steamed cake made from cucumber, semolina, and jaggery. This soft, sweet, and fragrant cake is a beloved traditional snack, perfect with a cup of tea. It's naturally sweet and wonderfully moist.
This goan recipe takes 45 minutes to prepare and yields 8 servings. At 216.68 calories per serving with 3.56g of protein, it's a beginner-friendly recipe perfect for snack or dessert or breakfast.
Cool, Slice, and Serve
Add a pinch of nutmeg powder or a few strands of saffron along with the cardamom for a more complex aroma.
Substitute cashews with chopped almonds or pistachios for a different texture and flavor.
You can use grated palm jaggery (gud) or coconut sugar as a 1:1 substitute for regular jaggery.
Add 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped ripe jackfruit or pineapple to the batter for a fruity variation.
Made with fresh cucumber, which has high water content, this cake helps contribute to your daily hydration needs.
Jaggery is an unrefined sugar that provides a gradual release of energy and contains trace minerals like iron and magnesium, unlike refined white sugar.
The fresh coconut in Tavsali is a good source of medium-chain triglycerides (MCTs), a type of healthy fat that can be easily used by the body for energy.
The fiber from cucumber, coconut, and semolina aids in digestion and helps maintain a healthy gut.
One piece of Goan Tavsali (approximately 95g) contains around 200-250 calories. The exact count depends on the sweetness of the jaggery and the fat content of the coconut used.
Tavsali can be considered a relatively healthy snack or dessert. It's steamed, not fried, and uses natural sweeteners like jaggery. Cucumber provides hydration and fiber, while coconut offers healthy fats. However, it is a sweet dish, so it should be consumed in moderation as part of a balanced diet.
While coarse rava (Bombay rava) is traditionally used and provides the best texture, you can use fine rava. The resulting cake will be softer and have a denser texture, more like a dhokla.
The most common reason for a crumbly tavsali is not allowing it to cool completely before slicing. It needs at least 30-45 minutes to set properly. Another reason could be an incorrect ratio of rava to cucumber juice.
Store leftover tavsali in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It tastes great when served at room temperature or slightly warmed.
Yes, this recipe is easily made vegan. Simply replace the ghee used for greasing the pan with coconut oil or any other neutral vegetable oil.