Madgane' (Chana Dal payasam or Split Chickpeas Dessert)

"Madgane'" or "Chana dal payasam" is a dessert made of Split Chickpeas and Jaggery.
A traditional Konkani dessert made on almost all festivals and functions.
Chana dal or Split Bengal grams, is baby chickpeas that have been split and polished. They look and taste like small kernels of sweet corn and work well in soups, salads, and rice dishes.
Chana dal is high in fiber and help to lower cholesterol.
· Apart from having a great taste, it also has a very low glycemic index, which is important for those with diabetes.
· Chickpeas are a helpful source of zinc, folate, calcium and protein
· Chickpeas are low in fat and most of it is polyunsaturated.
I learnt this dessert from my Mom, who is an expert in making this.
I have however simplified it by using readymade "Coconut milk" as compared to my Mom who makes coconut milk at home, which is a slightly tedious process.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
Chana dal or Split bengal gram - 1 cup
Jaggery - 1 cup grated
Green Cardamom or Elaichi - 4 - peeled and crushed
Cashew nuts - 8
All purpose flour or Maida - 1 tbsp
Coconut milk - 1 cup

Method:
Boil chana dal with thrice the amount of water in a cooker for about 15 mins until they are soft.
Now take a heavy bottomed vessel, and put the boiled chana dal and keep on low heat.
Add jaggery and boil it jaggery begins to melt.
Add cashewnuts and continue to boil.
In a separate bowl, add the coconut milk and 2 to 3 tsp of maida or all purpose flour and 1/2 cup water and mix well. Now add this to the boiling chana dal mixture.
Add gradually taking care to see that no lumps are formed. Stir well. Add ground cardamom and bring to boil.
Serve hot or cold but garnished with cashew nuts and raisins.