recipe -hayagreeva

ஹயக்ரீவா என்னும் சிற்றுண்டி  செய்யும் முறை '

Hayagreeva is a very common sweet dish made in most Madhwa temples, especially in Rayara Matta’s. If you have visited Sode or Sonda, the place of Shri Vadiraja Thirtharu, you sure will know the story of Hayagreeva also.
Lord Hayagriva or Hayavadana is an avatar of Vishnu. He is worshiped as the God of knowledge and wisdom, with a human body and a horse’s head, brilliant white in color, with white garments and seated on a white lotus.
Quote from Dvaita.org:

Every day, Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha would offer a sweet dish called Hayagrîva (a preparation consisting of jaggery, almonds, ghee and kaDale (lentil) by keeping it in a tray and holding it on his head while seated (as shown in the image below). The Lord Hayavadana used to take a form of a white horse, and would put his feet at the shoulders of Sri Vâdirâja Tîrtha, eat the sweet, play for some time like a horse, and disappear into the Hayavadana icon. It is said that Sri Vâdiraja Tîrtha would sing the ‘Dashâvatâra-stuti’, set to an ‘ashvaghâTi’ (literally, a horse’s trot) beat, to please the Lord, and the latter Himself would appear and dance when His devotee sang to Him.

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Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cup Kadale Bele or Channa dal
• 2 cups brown sugar or grated jaggery
• 7 cloves
• 5-6 kesari or saffron strands dissolved in water.
• Raisins and cashews as much as you want.
• 2 tsp Ghasgase or Khus கசகசா 
• 1/4 cup grated dry coconut
• 1/2 cup ghee

Method:

1. In 3 tsp ghee fry channa dal until brown.
2. Put water until all the dal is covered and pressure cook for 4 whistles.
3. Once the pressure is down, strain all the water from the channa dal.
4. Transfer this into a pan, and now add jaggery and cook in low heat.
5. Add the kesari also.
6. In another pan, add the remaining ghee.
7. Fry the raisins, cashews, khus khus, cloves and coconut.
8. Transfer this to the cooked channa dal.
9. Cover and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

P.S: Once the pressure comes down, it takes around 15 minutes to prepare this dish. Serves 4 people. Now you know why this dish should be eaten just in Rayara Matta or once a year, right?