Adai

Multi-lentil rice crepe — raw rice, toor dal, chana dal, and urad dal soaked together for four hours, ground coarsely with dried red chilli, asafoetida, and curry leaves into a thick, rough batter unlike the smooth idli-dosai batter, poured onto a hot tawa in a thick disc and cooked in sesame oil on both sides until the exterior is crisp-edged and nutty while the interior remains soft and slightly dense. The adai is the protein-dense alternative to the plain rice dosai; it is eaten for dinner as well as breakfast, traditionally with aviyal or white butter and jaggery (the combination of hot crispy adai with cold white butter and dark jaggery is considered one of the most satisfying Tamil food experiences). The coarse grind means the adai has a distinct grainy interior texture.