Hayagreeva ~ Chana Dal Sweetend with Jaggery ~ Navarathri Recipies

Hayagreeva is a horse headed avatar of Vishnu and the God of knowledge and wisdom.  This popular Karnataka dish is offered as a Nivedhyam to lord Hayagreeva.
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Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

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Ingredients:
Chana dal / Kadalai Paruppu - 1 cup
Powdered Jaggery - 1 cup
Dry or Fresh coconut (shredded or pieces) - 1/8 cup
Poppy seeds / Khus Khus - 1 tsp
Cardamom powder - 1/2 tsp
Cashew nuts - 5
Raisins - 2 tbsp
Ghee / Clarified butter - 2 to 3 tbsp
Water - 2 cups

Method:

1. Wash chana dal and pressure cook with 2 cups water until soft (about 5 whistles).
2. In the meanwhile.  dry roast poppy seeds in a skillet until it starts popping.
3. In the same skillet fry the cashews and raisins in 1 tbsp of ghee.  Keep it aside and wipe the skillet.
4. Once the dal is cooked, drain out the water.  Mash the dal slightly.
5. Place jaggery in the skillet and add 2 tbsp of the drained dal water.  Melt the jaggery and strain to remove impurities.
6. Place the jaggery syrup back in the skillet and add the coconut pieces.  Bring it to a boil.
7. Add the chana dal and 2 tbsp ghee cook for 5 minutes, stirring continuously.  
8. Add the remaining ghee and the fried cashews and raisins.  Mix well and switch off the flame.
9. Finally mix in the cardamom powder.