Adai Recipe/ Nutrient Rich Lentil Pancakes

                     My first day of my work, was filled with lots of excitements, joining formalities, new intros, and the list was continuing. It was the time for us to break for my first lunch (not as a student), it was dusk almost by that time. In my company food court, there were many restaurants and famous food chains of Tamil Nadu, but I had packed lunch from my lovable sister. I could find a big queue in a particular food counter, because of my hurry was less keen to know about the queue.

                                            
 

                                              Whenever I step into the food court during evenings, the same food counter and the queue trailing even big, almost often. Can't wait more to know the item served in the food counter. Went and peeped in, an unexpected item was there. Oops ans Yyyes, there are many people like me who crave for Adai (this sounded in my mind). So it was my turn to join the queue.

                                           
                              My grandma is a best ever person who makes this Adai. She adds some garlic, cumin seeds, pepper along with channa dal, toor dal apart from normal dosa. If drumstick leaves are not there, she will turn off the idea of making this recipe. Drumstick leaves added to it will give a more enriched taste and a huge source of iron. So the protein rich (because of channa and toor dal) dosa, will become iron rich too.

Prep time  3 hours ( For soaking )

Cooking time 5-8 mins (for a single adai)

Ingredients

To Grind for batter
1 cup Idli Rice / Dosa Rice 
1/2 cup Raw Rice
1/2 cup Channa dal
1/2 cup Toor dal
1/4 cup Moong dal
2 tbsp Urad dal
5-6 nos Red Chilly chopped (increase or reduce depending on the chilly)
7-8 nos Garlic Pods (can be omitted also)
1 tsp Cumin Seeds
1 tsp Pepper

1/2 tsp Asafoetida (powder)

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

To Saute and add with the grinded batter

2 tsp Mustard seeds

8-10 Small Onions (or sambar onions) chopped / 1 number Onion
1/4 cup Coconut (Sliced and chopped)
2 tbsp Curry leaves chopped
2 tbsp Drumstick leaves (if available)

As per taste Salt
For making dosa Oil (I use gingelly oil only)


Procedure

1)Soak all the dals together along with the rice. After soaking for two and a half hour, then we can start grinding.

          For grinding the batter using a Wet Grinder:

• Start with the chopped garlic and red chillies, then add cumin and pepper.
• Once when the above is grind, put the soaked rice and the dal mixture.
• The batter should not be a fine batter. It should be a course one. 
• Now you can add asafoetida and turmeric. I add salt at this stage itself.

2)Chop the onions and coconut. Chopped coconut gives more crunchy dosa.
3)Saute the onions and coconut and add it along with the batter.

4) For making dosa, apply oil on the tawa, and pour the adai batter. Dont spread too much to make thin dosas. Add little more oil compared to the normal dosas.

5) Cooking time for these dosas is more than the normal ones. So cook in reduced flame while making these dosas.

                               

                        Note:

• Within two to three hours from the batter is made, make the dosa. Need not give too much of fermenting time.
• It is better to have adai during breakfast than dinner, as it takes time to digest.
• Instead of red chillies, red chilly powder can also be used.
• Grated coconut can also be used instead of the chopped ones.
• Idli rice can also be a substitute for raw rice(if not available).
• Adding drumstick leaves will give an improved taste, if not available also no worries.
• Garlic can also be omitted if not needed. But adding them will help in more digestion.

                                 As for me butter and jaggery would be a best accompaniment for these yummy dosas. Many love to have it with avial. Kara chutney is also a perfect side for adai.