This week I will be posting March festival recipes i.e. recipes of dishes made for festivals that fall in the month of March. Since the most popular festivals are Gudi Padwa and Ugadi, I will be posting one recipe for Gudi Padwa, one Karnataka recipe for Ugadi and one from Andhra where Ugadi is also celebrated. These festivals mark the beginning of the year for the people from these regions and is celebrated with much pomp and splendour.

When I picked this theme, I promptly called by bestie who is a Maharashtrian married to a Kannadiga to pick her brains about what dishes they make. Her mother-in-law prepares this jaggery and bengal gram delight called Hayagreeva or Hayagreeva Maddi for Ugadi and it sounded just perfect for me to try out.

This dish from Karnataka is surprisingly simple with jaggery and Bengal gram teaming up to drive away whatever guilty feelings you might have regarding gorging on a dessert with abandon. Like any self respecting south Indian dish it has the ubiquitous coconut in it which adds a lovely crunch to the otherwise mushy delight and when it is topped with dry fruits roasted in ghee (clarified butter) you know there is no chance you are going to give this one a miss.

There is a nice story behind the dish which was mainly prepared for the deities of Udipi. Mythology says that a devotee, Sri Vadirajatirtha used to offer this dish to Lord Hayagreeva who came in the form of a white horse to devour it all. Thus the dish has been named after the Lord himself.

Serves 3-4

Recipe from here.

WHAT WE NEED

Bengal gram / chana dal                 1 cup

Powdered jaggery                              1 cup

Ghee                                                      3-4 tbsp

Desiccated coconut                          4 tbsp

Cashew nuts                                       8-10

Raisins                                                 10-15

Almonds                                             4-5

Honey (optional)                              2 tbsp

WHAT TO DO

• Pressure cook the bengal gram for 4 whistles and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Set aside the cooker for 20 minutes before opening it
• Mash the bengal gram well and set aside
• Heat a pan and add the jaggery and bengal gram to it and mix well
• Cook on medium flame and keep stirring frequently while the jaggery melts
• Cook till the mixture thickens which should take around 10-12 minutes
• Add the cardamom powder, honey and 2 tbsp of ghee, mix well and turn off the gas
• Cut the cashews and almonds into small pieces
• Heat the remaining ghee in a small pan and add the cashews and almonds
• Once they turn golden brown, turn off the gas and add the raisins
• Pour this over the jaggery mixture and add the desiccated coconut
• Mix well and serve warm
• Enjoy!

NOTES

1. Adding honey is optional. I added it because my family does not like the dish to be too thick and honey helps in reducing that a bit and makes the dish a little free flowing though not much and adds a nice aroma and flavour to the dish.

This is my post under Festival Themes for the Blogging Marathon.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for other marathoners doing this BM.