
UDUPI HAYAGREEVA MUDDI
Hayagreeva Maddi is a very famous dessert made with bengal gram/ channa dal and jaggery. It is often confused with the Kamala paruppu payasam or with the Pooranam/ sweet stuffing used to make puli and...
Hayagreeva Maddi is a very famous dessert made with bengal gram/ channa dal and jaggery. It is often confused with the Kamala paruppu payasam or with the Pooranam/ sweet stuffing used to make puli and Modakams. But these are definitely different from both of them. The consistency of this hayagreeva Maddi is more of a halwa and can be scooped with a spoon. Hayagreeva Maddi is a very famous dish among the Madhwa brahmins and in the surroundings of Udupi. This maddi is served in the Udupi temple even today as an offering to God.
The story behind how this dessert became famous is definitely interesting. Being an avatar of Lord Vishnu, Hayagreeva ( The Horse God ) is worshiped for knowledge and wisdom. Lord Hayagreeva has a human body and a horse head. It was said a goldsmith failed multiple times when he tried to make a gold statue of Lord Ganesha. Every time he ended up making a horse headed Idol. In despair, he threw the Idol away. The same night, Lord Hayagreeva appeared in the dreams of Sri Vadiraja and reminded of this incident. Lord Hayagreeva also appeared on the goldsmithโs dream and asked him to become Sri Vadirajaโs devotee. The next morning, Sri Vadiraja met the goldsmith and revived the horse headed Hayagreevaโs Idol from the goldsmith and both of them worshipped it. Since Horseโs loved channa dal/ bengal gram, Sri Vadiraja offered this maddi made with Kadala Bele (Channa dal) and Bellam ( Jaggery ) to Hayagreeva every day.
It is also known that while Sri Vadiraja offered this Maddi to Lord Hayagreeva every day, some mischievous people added poison in the offering that Sri Vadiraja carried to the Lord. Lord Hayagreeva out of the love that Vadiraja had on him, ate the offering knowing it had poison. The white horse headed Hayagreeva immediately turned blue. The people accepted their fault and Vadiraja ordered them to find the special variety of Brinjal in the area and offer it to Lord Hayagreeva. This Hayagreeva Maddi is very famous in many Udupi households and they can be made with the simplest ingredients available in pantry. Try this divine Hayagreeva Maddi and get the blessings of Lord Hayagreeva.
Instructions
- Wash and pressure cook one cup of channa dal for 4- 5 whistles until soft. Mash the channa dal with a masher or ladle.
- Add 3/4 cup of jaggery with 1.5 cups of water. Let jaggery dissolve and boil. Filter if they have impurities.
- Add the mashed channa dal to the jaggery and combine them. Let it cook for 3-4 mins.
- Add quarter cup of grated coconut to the channa dal. Cook until they combine and turn to a halwa consistency. Add two tablespoons of ghee in between to avoid the dal sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Heat a small pan with a tablespoon of ghee. Roast cashews and raisins in it till golden brown.
- Add cardamom powder and a pinch of crushed cloves to the Hayagreeva Maddi. Garnish with roasted cashews and raisins. Serve warm.
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