Adai

Adai

Adai

Veg Vegan

Thick, unfermented multi-lentil and rice crepe — a batter of raw rice, toor dal, chana dal, and urad dal ground together with dried red chilli, curry leaves, and shallots, spread thickly on a tawa and cooked in sesame oil. Denser and nuttier than dosai, with a characteristic crispy, lacy edge and soft centre. Eaten with aviyal or coconut chutney.

Cuisines

Chettinad Tamil Brahmin Kongunadu Madras

Best for

Breakfast Lunch

Build a full meal around Adai

Get a matched combo of sides and accents

Recipe

Prep: 20 min Cook: 30 min Total: 50 min 2-3 servings

Ingredients

Rice 1 cup Rice , raw
Toor Dal 1/4 cup Toor Dal
chana dal 1/4 cup Chana dal
urad dal 1/4 cup Urad dal
Moong Dal 1/4 cup Moong Dal
Coconut 4 tablespoons Coconut , grated
Red Chili 4 Red Chili , dried
Cumin 1 teaspoon Cumin , seeds
asafoetida 1 teaspoon Asafoetida
salt 1 teaspoon Salt
water 1 cup Water
oil 2 tablespoons Oil
Onion 1 cup Onion , chopped
Curry Leaf 1/4 cup Curry Leaf
Cilantro 1/4 cup Cilantro , chopped

Instructions

  1. 1 Wash and soak the rice and all dals together in water for at least 2 hours.
  2. 2 Drain the soaked rice and dals. Grind them with red chilies, cumin seeds, asafoetida, and salt into a coarse batter, adding water as needed.
  3. 3 Mix in the grated coconut, chopped onions, curry leaves, and coriander leaves into the batter.
  4. 4 Heat a tawa or non-stick pan over medium heat and grease it lightly with oil.
  5. 5 Pour a ladleful of batter onto the tawa and spread it in a circular motion to form a thick pancake.
  6. 6 Drizzle a little oil around the edges and cook until the bottom is golden brown.
  7. 7 Flip the adai and cook the other side until it is golden and cooked through.
  8. 8 Repeat with the remaining batter, serving hot with chutney or sambar.

Tips

For a spicier adai, increase the number of red chilies. You can also add finely chopped vegetables like spinach or grated carrots to the batter for added nutrition.