Recipe : HAYAGREEVA SWEET
Posted by Sowjanya Suraj on 09/01/2016
Hayagreeva is traditionally a north Karnataka dish. The name of the dish is synonymous with Lord Hayagreeva, the Horse headed incarnation of lord Vishnu. He is worshipped as the God of knowledge and wisdom. It is said that a Goldsmith was trying to make an Idol of Lord Ganesha but each time, The Idol ended up with a horse's head. He tried melting and remolding the idol a number of times but still the idol ended up with horse's head. Ultimately he got tired of the ordeal and threw away the Idol. On the same night Lord Hayagreeva appeared Sri Vadiraja's dream, and asked him to retrieve the idol that was thrown away by the goldsmith and worship it. Lord Hayagreva also appeared in the goldsmith's dream and asked him to become the disciple of Sri Vadiraja. Since bengal gram is a favorite with horses, Sri Vadiraja, made an offering of chana dal cooked with jaggery and coconut. This mixture of lentils and jaggery is actually called as maddi in Kannada. Since then, the maddi is also called as Hayagreeva.
INGREDIENTS
Chana dal or bengal gram- 1 cup
Jaggery- 1 cup
Freshly grated coconut- 2tbsp
Ghee- 2tbsp+1/2tsp
Turmeric- A pinch
Edible camphor- A pinch
Cardamom- 4-6 peeled and crushed to a fine powder
Chopped Cashews - 2 tbsp
Raisins- 2tbsp
Method : Dry roast the chana dal till brown and fragrant, wash and pressure cook the lentils along with 2-1/2 cups of water, 1/2 tsp of ghee and turmeric for 4-5 whistles. Do not cook the lentils till they are mushy. The bengal gram should be cooked but still hold it's shape. Allow the cooker to cool completely. Mash the dal slightly and add the jaggery, grated coconut and edible camphor and cook the mixture on low flame for 10min. By the end of 10mins the mixture would have thickened and would have clumped together to form a thick mass. Stir in the powdered cardamom and cook for another minute before taking off the heat. Heat two table spoons of ghee in a pan, add the chopped nuts, and fry till they are slightly brown. Add the raisins and fry till they bulge. Take off the heat and add the seasoning to the hayagreeva and serve warm with love to GOD AND FAMILY... Hayagreeva a sweet considered as a holige equivalent .
