Hayagreeva (lentil coconut sweet) step-bt-step recipe with photos.
About this recipe
Shravan is the most auspicious month in the Hindu calendar and calls for so many festivals (month of August). This is a month full of festivals and yummy food!
One such festive dish is 'Hayagreeva'. This dish is named after Lord Hayagreeva. This is a traditional sweet dish made of Bengal gram lentil, jaggery, and coconut which is given as an offering to God in Vadiraja Swami Mutta (temple) in Karnataka.
The story behind it goes like this... Lord Hayagreeva is considered an avatar of Vishnu. He is worshiped as the God of knowledge and wisdom, with a human body and a horse's head.
It is said that a goldsmith once tried making an idol of Lord Ganesha. But every time the idol ended up with a horse face. Finally, he threw the idol away. The same night, lord Hayagreeva appeared in Vadiraja Swami's dream and asked him to take the idol and worship it. Since horses like Bengal gram dal, Vadiraja Swami prepared this dish as an offering to the idol. And the dish was named hayagreeva.
Make this dish any time of the year for some soul-satisfying dessert!
Click here for more refined sugar-free desserts.
Step by step instructions
1. Soak chana dal in water. Boil soaked dal until completely done, but not mushy.
2. Drain the water from the boiled dal.
3. Boil jaggery in some water until it completely dissolves.
4. Add the cooked dal and simmer for a few minutes.
5. Add dry coconut and ghee and cook until ghee separates.
6. Add cardamom powder and mix well once the hayagreeva is done.
7. Garnish with fried cashew, raisins, and dry coconut, and serve warm.
Recipe card
Hayagreeva
Ingredients
- 1 cup Bengal gram (chana dal)
- ½ cup jaggery
- ¼ cup ghee
- ¼ cup coconut dried or dessicated
- 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
- 2 tablespoon cashew
- 2 tablespoon almond
- 2 tablespoon raisins
Instructions
- Wash the chana dal and soak for 1 hour. Rinse it thoroughly, add fresh water and boil until it’s completely cooked, but not mushy
- Strain the lentil and completely remove the water. Lightly mash some of the lentils, making sure most of it still holds its shape
- Crush the jaggery and soak it in very little water. This will help the jaggery to melt
- In a thick bottom vessel, add 1 tablespoon ghee. Fry the nuts and raisins until golden and set aside
- Now in the same vessel, add the jaggery along with the water and boil until the jaggery is completely dissolved
- Add the mashed lentil and bring it to boil. Simmer for 2-3 minutes and add the coconut and ghee
- Boil stirring continuously until the ghee separates, approximately 15-20 minutes
- Add the cardamom powder and mix well
- Garnish with coconut and fried nuts and raisins. Serve hot
Notes
- Make sure the lentil is completed cooked before adding to the jaggery
- Don’t make the mixture too dry. It should have a creamy texture
- You can add a teaspoon of poppy seeds along with coconut
- You can use a pressure cooked to reduce the time to cook the lentil
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