Tuesday 18 June 2013

Hayagreeva or Chana Dal with Jaggery

Somehow I have always preferred jaggery sweets than the sugar one.
I am not a sweet tooth person. I love more spicy food than sweets.
Yet I would prefer jaggery than sugar.  Moreso I prefer Jaggery in lemonade than sugar.
Now this is a recipe which has channa dal as the main ingredient, jaggery to sweeten it up with roasted whole poppy seeds or khus khus with dry grated coconut, nuts and raisins.
The poppy seeds and dry grated coconut or copra  balances the sharp intense sweetness  of  jaggery.
Of course adding of ghee makes it more of halwa to savour.

Ingredients:
Chana Dal - 1 cup,
Jaggery - 11/4-11/2 cups(it depends on your sweet tooth)
Home made ghee -  a little less than 1/4 cup,
Poppy seeds or khus khus - 2 tspns.
Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tspn.
Dry Coconut or Copra - 1/3 of a cup.

For tempering:
Ghee - 1 tspn,
Cashew - 1 tspn (broken),
Raisins or kishmish - 1Tspn.


Method:
Pressure cook chana dal with enough water for 4-5 whistles.
The dal should have been completely cooked and soft. But yet it should hold its shape.
In a wide pan dissolve jaggery with little water.
Once jaggery is completely dissolved, strain it for impurities.
Bring back the jaggery to boil. Boil until it gives nice aroma of the jaggery.
Say approximately 2-3 minutes.
Add cooked chana dal and keep stirring until it turns to a medium thick paste.

Meanwhile dry roast the poppy seeds or khus khus they are lightly browned.
Take care not to burn, as it will tastes bitter.

Now add the ghee slowly to the chana dal and jaggery mixture and mix well.
If you think, it requires less ghee than mentioned, you can stop adding the ghee further.
Add khus khus or poppy seeds and grated coconut and mix well.
Add cardamom powder.
Temper cashew and raisins in ghee add to the mixture.
Final product should be a bit looser than halwa.
Relish hot.

 

No comments:

Post a Comment