Perfect Traditional Adai Dosai

Perfect traditional Adai dosai.

To grind:

Idly rice / any rice - 1cup

Raw rice (Basmati) - 1 cup
Thoor dhal - 1/4 cup
Channa dhal - 1/2 cup

Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
urid dhal  - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 2 inch
Dry red chilli - 5
Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Cumin - 1 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp

To temper:

Oil - 2 tbsp

Mustard - 1tsp
urid dhal - 1 tsp
onion - 2 cup

Green chili - 2
cilantro - a handful
curry leaf - 1 sprig

Method:
Wash and soak the rice , thoor dhal, channa dhal, urid dhal for 3 hours.
I soaked it by afternoon and made it for dinner.
Because while making adai , the dhals should not ferment. Moreover do not use fermented left over batter.
Grind soaked items along with Red chilli, ginger, asafoetida, turmeric, cumin and salt like coarse dosa batter .

Tempering the batter :
Heat a pan with oil and add mustard, as it crackles, add urid dhal.
When urid dal starts to get red in color, then add the chopped onion , cilantro, curry leaves and fry till the onion becomes transparent.
Then add this tempering to adai dosa batter.
Heat a dosa pan and coat it with a little sesame oil.
(Thick traditional dosa tawas make crispy adais than the non stick tawas)
Then pour a ladle of batter and make thick dosas.

Make a hole in the center of the adai and add 1 tsp sesame oil or ghee around the adai and in the center hole.

Flip it. Wait to get adai cooked on both sides (almost 1 - 2 minute each side at medium heat).
Like wise make as many as required.
Adai dosai is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve adai hot with coconut chutney or aviyal or onion chutney.
Do not prepare it in batches before serving. Because cold adai does not taste great.
So start making adai , as soon as anyone sits in front of the dinner plate.

Note:  
The taste will be enhanced if we add a handful of drumstick leaves to the batter before making adai.

Millet adai

 Adai is a kind of spicy dosai (Tamil cuisine). If you want to read more please click to see my usual adai recipe, nine grain adai. I prepared a newer kind of adai this week using millet along with other ingredients. This tastes more similar to the original adai, but this feels lighter.  This is my own version of a millet adai, hope you all try this and enjoy !

Millet Adai with karakulambu and sugar

Thinai millet 

To grind:
Idly rice / any rice - 1/2 cup

Foxtail millet (thinai) - 1 cup
Channa dhal (Kadalai paruppu) - 1/2 cup

green gram (whole) - 1/2 cup
urid dhal (Uluntham paruppu) - 1 tbsp
ginger - 1 inch

whole black pepper - 2 tbsp

cumin - 1 tsp
Dry red chilli - 5
Asafoetida powder (hing) - 1 tsp
turmeric powder - 1 tsp
salt - 2 tsp (to taste)

To add before making adai:
onion - 2 cup
cilantro - a handful
curry leaf - 1 sprig

cumin - 1 tsp

Method:
Wash and soak together everything given 'to grind'  for 4-5 hours (except ginger, salt, turmeric, hing).
I soaked it by 6 Am and prepared the batter by noon and made this adai for dinner.
(If you plan to make adai for a special breakfast, then soak all the items told and keep it inside fridge overnight.
Otherwise soak the rice overnight and soak the dhals for just 2 hours in the norning.
Because while making adai , the dals should not ferment).

Grind all soaked items together to a medium coarse dosa batter .
Finely chop the onion, cilantro , curry leaf and add this to adai dosa batter.
Heat a thick cast iron dosa pan and coat it with a little sesame oil. Drizzle water and wipe clean.
(Thick traditional dosa tawas make crispy adais than the non stick tawas)
Then pour a ladle of batter and make thick dosas.
Flip it. wait to get adai cooked on both sides.

It will take around 3 - 5 minutes for each adai to be cooked completely.
Like wise make as many as required.

If you need to prepare it faster, use two dosa tawas, as this helps better to serve a hot crispy adai.
Adai dosai is ready!

Makes nearly 15 adai.

Serving suggestion:

Serve adai hot with coconut chutney , sugar or aviyal or onion chutney.

Sometimes we enjoy this with kara kulambu too. 
Do not prepare it in batches before serving. Because adai tastes better when served hot.
So start making adai , as soon as your loving family sits in front of the dinner plate😍 

Note:  
The taste will be enhanced if we add a handful of drumstick leaves to the batter before making adai.

Adai Dosai

Adai dosai is a common breakfast / dinner item made in South Indian houses. we make it in many ways using many kind of lentils. The following recipe is an authentic one followed by people of Tirunelveli. My mom used to make it for saturday mornings. (Sundays were devoted to Poori). I don't even know when she would have got up or when she would have soaked them all..(Yes , it is the secret of mothers ). But those memories are really wonderful and the best part is , this was her favorite breakfast cum dinner.
I used to give her some appreciation by making my imperfect adais , after enjoying her crispy ones:) Later on those breakfast menus became dinner specials , paving way to oats and cereals.
Recently I enjoyed adai made by my friend Priya Anand and got inspired a lot again:)
She prepared it like a kerala adai and it was soo.... lovely. Will post that version also soon.
Hope this recipe brings many loving memories to you too guys:)

Adai dosai  served with coconut chutney.

Update (11- 25 - 2013)
Nowadays I make adai using my electric griddle (350 deg F or little lesser). This helps me make more adais in short time...also it will never char these lentil dosais. But we can make it just like dosa in dosa pan too. Both tastes good.

To grind:
Idly rice / any rice - 1cup

Raw rice (Basmati) - 1 cup
Thoor dhal - 1/4 cup
Channa dhal - 1/2 cup

Moong Dal - 1/2 cup
urid dhal  - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch
Dry red chilli - 5
Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric powder - a pinch

Cumin - 1 tsp
Salt - 2 tsp

To temper:

Oil - 1 tbsp

Mustard - 1tsp
urid dhal - 1 tbsp
onion - 2 cup

Green chili - 2
cilantro - a handful
curry leaf - 1 sprig

Method:
Wash and soak the rice , thoor dhal, channa dhal, urid dhal for 6 hours.
I soaked it by 12 Noon and made it for dinner.
(If you plan to make adai for a special breakfast, then soak all the items told and keep it inside fridge overnight.
Otherwise soak the rice overnight and soak the dhals for just 2 hours in the norning.
Because while making adai , the dhals should not ferment. Moreover do not use fermented left over batter, as it is believed to be hazardous)
After 6 hours grind soaked items along with Red chilli, ginger, asafoetida, turmeric, cumin and salt like coarse dosa batter .

Tempering the batter :
Heat a pan with oil and add mustard, as it crackles, add urid dhal.
When urid dal starts to get red in color, then add the chopped onion , cilantro, curry leaves and fry till the onion becomes transparent.
Then add this tempering to adai dosa batter.
Heat a dosa pan and coat it with a little sesame oil.
(Thick traditional dosa tawas make crispy adais than the non stick tawas)
Then pour a ladle of batter and make thick dosas.

Make a hole in the center of the adai and add 1 tsp sesame oil or ghee around the adai and in the center hole.

Flip it. Wait to get adai cooked on both sides (almost 1 - 2 minute each side at medium heat).
Like wise make as many as required.
Adai dosai is ready!

Serving suggestions:

Serve adai hot with coconut chutney or aviyal or onion chutney.
Do not prepare it in batches before serving. Because cold adai does not taste great.
So start making adai , as soon as anyone sits in front of the dinner plate.

Note:  
The taste will be enhanced if we add a handful of drumstick leaves to the batter before making adai.