Adai is a very traditional breakfast of Tamil Nadu.
It’s a variety of dosa. It’s made of combination of lentils and rice. It’s thicker than dosa, crispy and spicy. It’s rich in protein, healthy and wholesome.
Unlike dosa, the batter for adai need not be fermented.
Though many have it have for breakfast, in our home we have it as a brunch.
It’s a very healthy one pot meal, ideal one to make when you don’t want to cook anything elaborate.
There are many recipes for adai. I have tried many recipes too, but this is the best that I have tried till now 🙂
Ingredients
To soak and grind
Raw rice- 1/2 cup
Boiled rice ( Idli rice) – 1 cup
Chana dal ( Kadalai paruppu) – 1/2 cup
Tuvar dal (tuvaram paruppu) – 1/4th cup
Moong dal ( pasi paruppu) – 1/4th cup
Red chillies- 8-10
Hing- 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Chopped onions- 1 cup
Chopped cabbage- 1 cup
( even mixed vegetables can be added)
Chopped curry leaves- 1 tbsp
Method
Wash the rice and dal together well and soak for 2-3 hours.
Drain the water. Add red chillies, hing and salt to taste and grind to a coarse batter.
Add chopped onions, cabbage and curry leaves to batter and mix well.
Heat a heavy bottom tawa. I use iron tawa.
Brush the hot tawa with sesame oil.
Pour a small portion of the batter in the centre and spread it to a thick uniform circle with the back of the ladle. Add generous amount of oil on the sides of the adai.
Make holes in the centre and pour little oil. This will help in cooking the adai crisp.
Once the underside is becomes crisp and golden, flip it and cook till the other side turns crisp and golden.
