Hayagreeva Maddi

Hayagreeva maddi is a delicious sweet prepared in the South kanara region of the Indian state of Karnataka. Cooked bengal gram dal is sweetened with jaggery , flavored with cardamom and lastly garnished with grated coconut and nuts.

This year, for Makara Sankranthi , I decided to make this sweet as it is a family favorite. Apart from being delicious, it is very easy to make and can be prepared at a short notice. 

So here is how you too can prepare this tasty sweet...

INGREDIENTS:

Source : Udupi cuisine by U.B.Rajalakshmi
Serves 3-4

• Bengal Gram Dal (Chana dal) : 1 cup
• Powdered Jaggery : 1 cup
• Clarified butter / Ghee : 1/4 cup +1 tsp
• Freshly grated coconut : 1/4 cup (If using frozen kind, thaw before use)
• Raisins : 8
• Cashews : 8 (whole or you can break into small pieces)
• Cardamom powder : 1/4 tsp
• Sliced blanched almonds : 1 tbsp
• Pinch of salt.

Note: All measurements are based on the US measuring cup and spoon sizes where 1 cup = 235 ml

PROCEDURE:

• Wash the dal and pressure cook the dal in 2.5 cups of water. Once cooked, drain the extra water.
• Heat the cooked dal and jaggery on medium heat until it turns semi dry by stirring continuously.
• In a different pan, heat 1 tsp of ghee, and fry the cashews and raisins and keep it aside.
• Once the dal and jaggery attains a semi dry texture, add the grated coconut, 1/4 cup ghee, cardamom powder , blanched almond slices and fried cashews - raisins mixture.
• Heat for another 5-7 minutes on low and then turn off the heat.
• Serve hot or at room temperature.

Notes:

1. Use the drained dal water in soups or for making roti dough.
2. Instead of using fresh coconut , you can use chopped dry coconut (copra). Fry them in a tsp of ghee before adding to the dish.
3. Instead of pressure cooking the dal, you can directly cook them on the stove. But it will take much longer to cook.
4. Adjust the quantity of sweetness and ghee as per your taste.