ADAI DOSA RECIPE | KARA ADAI | MIXED LENTIL DOSA

Adai's origin is from Tamilnadu where it is usually paired with the vegetable, 'Avial'.The batter for Adai is ground thicker and coarser than the regular dosa batter and it does not require any fermentation.The Adais are prepared slightly thicker than the regular dosa and they consume lots of oil as the batter is ground coarse. This version that I have made is more of a dosa and is thin and crisp. Adai is usually spicy as the batter has it all - so no need for any accompaniment. I though prefer to have it with a bit of jaggery and ghee.

Adai Dosa Recipe | Mixed Lentil Dosa Recipe :

(yields 18-20 adai)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Raw rice(regular rice variety like sona masuri,ponni etc)

1/2 cup Idli rice

1/3 cup Toor dal

1/3 cup Chana dal

1/4 cup Moong dal

1/4 cup Urad dal

1/3 cup grated fresh Coconut

10-12 Curry leaves

4-5 Red chillies

3-4 Byadige Red chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds

1/8 tsp Asafoetida

Salt to taste

to add to the batter:

1/4 cup chopped Coriander

2 tbsp chopped Curry leaves

Oil to roast adais

Method:

• Soak rice for 4-5 hrs or over night.Soak chana dal,moong dal and toor dal in a separate container for 4-5 hrs or over night.Soak urad dal in another container for the same time (4-5 hrs).
• Dry roast cumin seeds and red chillies(both the varieties regular and byadige) slightly until warm and let them cool.This process is just to make them crisp for better grinding.
• Grind urad dal to a smooth and frothy paste by adding some water.Remove this mixture and keep aside.
• Now grind soaked rice with the remaining dals,coconut,curry leaves,red chillies,cumin seeds and asafoetida to a smooth batter.I ground to a smooth batter as I wanted to prepare like dosa,you can even grind to a coarse batter.
• Mix the urad dal batter with the ground batter and add enough salt to it and mix well.You can prepare adai dosa immediately with this batter if you want,I kept it aside for 3-4 hrs for little fermentation.
• I am sure everyone knows how to make simple dosa,still I explain the process of making it for people who are not familiar with it.
• Mix batter well and add chopped coriander and curry leaves to the batter and mix again.Pour a big ladle of batter onto a medium hot pan and spread it in the circular motion to form a uniform shaped dosa.You can spread the batter thick or thin according to your wish.
• Pour 1-2 tsp oil approx over it and cover it with a lid.(No need to add more oil if using Non stick pan,you can completely replace oil with ghee for better taste if you are not calorie conscious).

• Let it initially cook on low flame for 1-2 mins and remove the lid and increase the flame later and cook for a couple of mins until you see brown/red patches.You can turn it and roast the other side if you want.(Do not try to remove the dosa in between while it is roasting.We should remove it only when you are sure that the dosa is perfectly roasted.)
• Serve it directly and do not drop them in hot boxes.It should be served on to the plate immediately to enjoy the flavor and crispiness of the dosa.
• Reduce the flame for half a minute and then start preparing the next dosa.Do not pour the batter on high flame.

Serve it with spicy chutney or Avial.I served it with spicy coconut chutney and jaggery.

Notes:

1. The addition of idly rice gives crispiness to adai,if you don't have it replace it with regular rice.
2. Ideally the batter should be ground to a coarse mixture and is made thick which we are not really fond of,hence I made it into a very slight coarse dosa kind batter.It is left to your choice, either way it tastes good and left to you.
3. You can start preparing them immediately but I prefer to leave it aside for few hours to let it ferment.Again it is my personal preference.
4. You can add finely chopped onions/shallots to the adai batter just before making adai.If you add the onions you cannot spread like dosa,it will be slightly thicker and you need to roast on both sides.
5. The addition of more oil to adai makes it crispier.

Variations:

• You can add tender drumstick leaves or grated carrots or chopped spring onion greens to the batter.Each gives a different flavor and taste to adai.
• You can even add ginger while grinding which gives a nice flavor to adai.