A traditional sweet delicacy primarily enjoyed in the south of India!

Madgane (pronounced as Mad-ga-ne) is a traditional Indian sweet dish made with Bengal Gram, the sweetness of jaggery, and coconut milk’s richness. 

As per the Hindu calendar, today, Oct 25th, 2020, marks the auspicious day of Dussehra. It symbolizes the victory of good over evil. The nine nights and ten days before Dussehra are called Navratri. The tenth day is called Vijayadashami or Dussehra, which means “victory on the tenth day.”

As the legend goes, Lord Rama defeated the 10-headed demon king Ravana on this day. The festival’s name comes from the Sanskrit words dasha (“ten”) and hara (“defeat”). Indians celebrate Dussehra with great enthusiasm and fanfare – the Ram Lila is one great example. It is a gala theatrical enactment of Rama’s life accompanied by the burning of Ravana’s effigies stuffed with firecrackers and set ablaze at night in the open fields to great revelry.

Here’s the version of Madgane that I made for this occasion –

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Bengal Gram (Chana Dal)
  • 2 tsp of Moong Dal
  • 1-1/2 can of unsweetened coconut milk
  • 1 cup light brown sugar or powered Jaggery (Indian cane sugar)
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
  • a pinch of Nutmeg powder (Optional)
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 1/4 cup cashew nut (broken into bits)
  • 1 tsp Ghee

Method:

  1. Wash and soak Bengal gram (Chana Dal) overnight. Soak the Moong Dal the morning of the preparation.
  2. Cook Bengal gram with just enough water on a low cook-top flame until it is soft but not mushy. Verify with your fingers that the gram breaks easy and is tender. (It took almost 45 minutes for my gram to cook evenly. You can pressure cook the Bengal gram just for 5 – 6 minutes on medium flame if you prefer.)
  3. In a pan, add ghee and roast raisins until they appear slightly toasty but moist.
  4. Once the gram is cooked and easy to break with your fingers, add brown sugar, cashew nut bits, raisins and stir well.
  5. Bring to a boil on a low flame, making sure to stir it from time to time.
  6. Once it starts boiling, gradually stir in coconut milk.
  7. Add cardamom powder and nutmeg (optional)
  8. Turn up the heat to medium and bring it to a second boil. Make sure you stir it regularly, not allowing the mixture to stick at the bottom.
  9. The consistency of Madgane is a bit thick, almost like a gravy.
  10. Check for sweetness. Add more brown sugar or jaggery if needed.

Here is how mine turned out –

Try it out and let met know what you think!😊