Adai is one of the oldest dosa-type dishes of Tamil Nadu, made from a mix of rice and lentils that is soaked and ground coarse, then cooked straight away without fermenting. Because it uses toor, chana, urad and moong dal, it is far more filling than a plain dosa, and many families make it for dinner when they want a one-dish meal.
It has a slightly grainy, crisp exterior and a soft centre, with a savoury, spicy flavour from red chillies, ginger, asafoetida and curry leaves. Adai is traditionally eaten with avial, which is why the pairing adai-avial is famous, or with jaggery and butter, a combination many Tamil grandparents swear by.
At a glance
| Region | Tamil Nadu |
|---|---|
| Cuisine | Tamil |
| Diet | Vegan |
| Course | Breakfast |
| Prep time | 20 minutes |
| Cook time | 30 minutes |
| Total time | 50 minutes |
| Serves | 4 |
| Spice level | Medium |
| Difficulty | Easy |
| Gluten-free | Yes |
| Key ingredients | rice / toor dal / chana dal / urad dal / moong dal |
Ingredients
For the batter
- 1 cup raw rice (or half idli rice)
- 1/4 cup toor dal
- 1/4 cup chana dal
- 2 tbsp urad dal
- 2 tbsp moong dal
- 4-5 dry red chillies
- 1 inch ginger
- 1/4 tsp asafoetida
- 1 tsp salt, or to taste
- 1 sprig curry leaves, chopped
- 1 small onion, finely chopped (optional)
- 2 tbsp grated coconut (optional)
For cooking
- coconut oil or gingelly oil, about 1 tsp per adai
Method
- Wash the rice and the dals together and soak in plenty of water for 3-4 hours. Soak the red chillies along with them.
- Drain, reserving a little soaking water. Grind the rice, dals, chillies and ginger with minimal water to a coarse batter, like fine rava. It should not be smooth.
- Transfer to a bowl and mix in salt, asafoetida, curry leaves, onion and coconut. The batter should be thick but pourable; add a few spoons of water if needed.
- Heat a cast-iron tawa on medium heat and grease it lightly.
- Pour a ladle of batter and spread it in a circle a little thicker than a regular dosa. Make a small hole in the centre with the ladle tip so heat reaches the middle.
- Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edge and into the centre hole. Cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until the base is golden brown and crisp.
- Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, then serve immediately.
Tips
- A coarse grind is the key to good adai; a smooth batter makes it heavy and dense.
- Cook on medium, not high heat, as the dals need time to cook through.
- The batter can be used straight away or kept for a few hours; it does not need to ferment.
Serve with
Avial, coconut chutney, or jaggery with a dollop of white butter.