Adai recipe – Adai is a healthy, protein rich & nutrient dense Breakfast made of mixed lentils & spices. It is one of the most commonly eaten foods from Tamil cuisine. Adai tastes delicious and is mostly served with a chutney. Adai dosa can be made thick or thin, soft or crisp all to suit your taste.
To make adai dosa recipe, mixed dal/ lentils like chana dal, toor dal, moong and urad dal are used along with rice. Similar to the plain dosa recipe, each family has their own proportion of dals and rice.
The flavor and taste of the adai depends on the proportions used. In this post, I am sharing the ratios I usually follow to make this.
For similar recipes check
Pesarattu
Mix dal dosa
Ragi dosa
Wheat dosa
Neer dosa
How to make adai recipe?
All the lentils and rice are soaked first for at least 2 to 3 hours. Then blended to a slightly coarse batter and allowed to rest for 2 to 4 hours. However adai comes out good even without resting.
The batter is not fermented but resting helps to enhance the flavor.
I usually soak, blend, rest and then keep the batter in the fridge the previous night to prepare the next morning’s breakfast. Sometimes I also soak them the previous night (for 8 hours), blend them in the morning & use the batter directly without resting.
The adai batter is then poured over a greased tawa and spread to a slightly thick dosa.
You many like this collection of Dosa recipes.
For more breakfast recipes, you can check
Poha recipe
Rava uttapam
Upma
Medu vada
Preparation
1. Firstly add rice to a large pot or utensil and wash at least 3 times. Add fresh water and soak for at least 3 to 4 hours.
2. Remove the stalks of the red chilies & add them to the rice.
3. Next add all the lentils to another pot. Wash them well and soak in enough water for at least 3 to 4 hours.
4. Drain water and add rice, red chilies, ginger and jeera to a blender jar. Also pour little water to make a thick and slightly coarse batter.
Making batter for adai dosa
5. Make sure all the rice grains are crushed. If your blender jar is not big enough transfer the batter to a large utensil.
6. Drain water from the dal and add it to the blender jar. Then pour little water enough to make a batter.
7. Blend to a slightly coarse & thick batter.
8. Transfer adai batter to the batter bowl. Mix well if you have kept the rice batter aside. Cover and rest for 2 to 4 hours. You can also make the adai right away. I feel resting the batter brings a good aroma and taste.
9. Add coriander leaves, hing, onions and salt. Do not add lot of onions it becomes difficult to spread the adai batter.
10. Mix everything well. You can add water to bring the batter to consistency. To make crisp and thin adai dosa, the consistency must be slightly thin but not very runny. To make thick once you can keep the batter slightly thick.
But traditionally adai is made slightly thick. However it is a personal choice.
How to make adai dosa
11. Grease a pan with little oil and heat it. The pan must be just hot enough and not very hot otherwise it is difficult to spread the batter.
If you are not using a non stick pan, then grease the tawa well and rub it with a cut onion. This prevents the adai from sticking to the pan. Pour the batter in the center of the pan.
12. Spread the batter quickly to a dosa, thick or thin to suit your liking. Add ghee or oil as desired. When it is cooked, the edges loosen from the pan.
13. Flip and cook on the other side. Flip again and fry till the adai turns crisp.
Adai is best served hot with chutney. You can refrigerate the left over adai batter and use up in the next 2 days.
Adai recipe
For best results follow the step-by-step photos above the recipe card
Ingredients (1 cup = 240ml )
Ingredients for adai recipe
- ¾ cup rice (idly rice or short grain parboiled rice like sona masuri or ponni)
- ¼ cup chana dal or split skinned bengal gram
- ¼ cup toor dal or split skinned pigeon peas
- 2 tbsps moong dal or split skinned green gram
- 2 tbsps urad dal or split skinned black gram
- ¾ to 1 inch ginger
- 4 to 5 red chilies (l use less spicy variety, use as desired)
- ¾ to 1 tsp jeera
- 1/8 tsp Hing or asafoetida
- ½ tsp Salt as needed
- Water as needed to make batter
- 2 tbsp Oil or ghee as needed
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves finely chopped
Instructions
Preparation
- Add all the lentils or dals – chana, toor, urad and moong dal to a large pot. Wash them very well 3 times.
- Pour enough water and soak them for 2 to 3 hours.
- You can also leave them overnight for 8 hours.
- Add rice to another large pot and wash 3 times.
- Same this one too you can leave the rice overnight for 8 hours.
- Next add red chilies to the rice and soak them for 2 to 3 hours.
- Drain the water from both the pots.
Making adai batter
- Add rice and red chilies to a blender jar along with little water. Blend to a slightly coarse paste or thick batter.
- Transfer the batter to a pot.
- Add dals, jeera and ginger to the jar. Also add little water and blend to a slightly coarse thick batter.
- Mix this with the rice batter. Allow to rest for 2 to 4 hours. You can also skip resting.
How to make adai dosa
- Heat a pan. Add few drops of oil and smear it all over the pan with a tissue.
- While the pan heats, add chopped onions, salt, hing, coriander leaves to the batter.
- Mix everything well.
- If you prefer to make thick adai, the consistency of the batter must be thick but of spreading consistency.
- If you prefer thin adai, then add more water as needed.
- Mix well to bring the consistency to a slightly less thick batter, not runny.
- The batter must be easily spreadable on the pan.
- Regulate the flame to medium. Make sure the pan is hot.
- Pour one ladle of batter and spread it quickly like a dosa. Spread it to thick or thin adai as per your liking.
- Add 1/2 tsp oil or ghee across the edges. Cook on a medium heat.
- When it gets cooked on one side, the edges loosen from the pan slightly. Flip it and cook on the other side as well. Make sure it is cooked on both the sides until crisp.
- Serve adai dosa with coconut chutney or any other chutney.
Alternative quantities provided in the recipe card are for 1x only, original recipe.
For best results follow my detailed step-by-step photo instructions and tips above the recipe card.
Video
NUTRITION INFO (estimation only)
© Swasthi’s Recipes
Deek says
Can I avoid channa dhal
swasthi says
Hi Deek
you can substitute chana dal with same amount of yellow moong dal.
Archana says
It came out awesome👌👌👌!! Thank you 💞
swasthi says
Welcome Archana
sasitha j says
My batter got fermented while resting is it OK to use
swasthi says
Yes it is just fine.
Sunitha says
Hi swasthi…
Healthy and great recipe…I have a doubt on the resting of the batter….if we prepare the batter previous night, is it necessary to keep it in fridge or can we leave it on the countertop like we do for dosa batter..?
swasthi says
Hello Sunitha,
Thank you! I keep it in the fridge. This batter does not need fermentation like the regular dosa batter. Resting helps in developing the flavors. You can also soak in the night and blend in the morning. Make adai directly.
Sunitha says
Thanks for your prompt reply ….
Anjali says
Thanks much Swasthi, I’m a novice but find your recipes – both in terms of the results and the detailed instructions. This is my go to recipe for adai, I soak rice and dals together and grind them together to save effort and dishes ! Also make extra batter, adding onions only to the portion am making currently.During this lockdown time, a filling, healthy and delicious meal. Thanks again.
swasthi says
Hello Anjali
You are welcome! Glad to know! Yes! delicious and healthy. Thank you.
Maya K Rao says
Thanks for the recipe. Looks great
swasthi says
Welcome Maya
Deepika says
Hi
Can we add hing while soaking lentils? Can adai be given to Toddlers after 1 year or when can we start? Thanks a lot for your recipes.. i have tried many for my family and turns out good.
swasthi says
Hi Deepika,
Thanks for trying the recipes. Yes you can use hing. Since it is a stimulant I use occasionally. Most times I skip it for kids food. You can give adai after 1 year. You can also try this mixed dal dosa. You can give this on alternate days.
Narmadha says
I tried your Adai recipe today Swasti.. Delicious it turned out to be!😋…
swasthi says
Thanks Narmadha
Glad adai turned out good.
Waliyya says
Hi Thsnk you for the recipe! Is the caloroe count mentioned for one serving of the dosa or total?
swasthi says
Hi Waliyya,
You are welcome. The calorie count is for each adai dosa.
Kamalu mami says
How to prepare donkey manchurian please share the recipe…
swasthi says
Hi Kamalu mami
I guess it was a auto correction of the text. You can check the recipe of gobi manchurian here
Vidya says
Hi swasthi,
Today this was the breakfast at my home too.. I din have toordal.. I managed to use all the other ingredients.. It turned out good.. I was running short if red chilli.. I added two red chilli and Lil kashmiri chili powder for the color… Result was tasty… Thanks a lot… With coconut chutney… Keep going… I m making custard too today… Following the steps… As whenever I try lumps form..Hope today it like come good.. Thanks
Vidya says
custard also turned out good… Except that pomegranates were sour..
Divya says
Tried this one for breakfast today, came out crisp & tasty. Thanks for the recipe!