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  • Side Dish For Chapati

Protein and Iron rich Adai recipe

November 16, 2009 by PadhuSankar 101 Comments

Adai is made of lentils and rice. It is usually prepared for breakfast and is filling and healthier than dosa. I have added a handful of drumstick leaves to increase the nutritional value. So this adai is rich in iron also. It is very simple to prepare and does not need much planning as for dosa. It goes well with avial, chutney, jaggery and butter. You can grind a handful of soaked chick peas/garbanzo beans along with rice if preferred but I did not add. Adai with butter- hmmm heavenly. Today we will learn how to make adai (Tamil style) following this easy recipe with step wise pictures.

South Indian Adai- step by step pictures

Adai Recipe/Adai Dosa Recipe (Indian Lentil Crepes)


Adai

 Prep Time : 10 mins (excluding soaking time)

 Cook Time : Less than 5 mins per adai
 Yields: 6-7 adais
 Recipe Category: Breakfast
 Recipe Cuisine: South Indian
 Author:Padhu Sankar

   Ingredients needed

   Raw rice – 1/2 cup
   Par Boiled rice (Puzhungal Arisi)- 1/2 cup
   Tur dal – 1/2 cup
   Bengal gram/channa dal – 1/4 cup
   Urad dal – 1 tbsp
   Green chilli -2
   Red chilli -3
   Ginger -1 small bit
   Asafoetida/hing -1/4 tsp
   Salt as required
   Oil for making adai ( sesame seed oil preferable)

   Ingredients to add to the batter 

   Onion -2-3 finely chopped
   Coconut -2 tbsp grated
   Curry leaves – little
   Grated carrot -1/2 carrot (optional)
   Drumstick leaves -handful (optional)

Preparation

Soak rice and dal together for 4- 5 hours.

Grind it coarsely along with red chilli, green chilli, ginger, hing and salt. The batter should not be thick nor watery.

Add finely chopped onions, few tender curry leaves, grated coconut and drumstick leaves to the batter. Adai batter is now ready.

Adai RecipeSurprise your kids like this. Bring your ears closer, this is just to make them eat. Tomato chutney becomes red sea.

Method

Heat a griddle or a non stick tawa and pour a ladle of batter and spread it in circular motion. Drizzle a tsp of oil around the adai. Make 3-4 holes with the back of the ladle and drizzle little oil on the holes also.  Let it get cooked.

Once cooked, flip it over to the other side and drizzle another tsp of oil around the adai. Let it get cooked.

After both sides are cooked well, remove from tawa and serve it hot with chutney or butter or jaggery or idly milagai podi.

Adai

Enjoy the adai with butter and chutney.

Note– Add finely chopped onions and coconut only to needed batter. You can refrigerate the rest of the batter. The batter stays good for 2-3 days if onions or coconut are not added to it.

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Tomato Rice

Filed Under: Breakfast Varieties, Uncategorized, Video Recipe Tagged With: Dal, Dosa Varieties, Protein Rich Recipes, Uncategorized




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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sarah Naveen

    November 16, 2009 at 1:42 pm

    ooh!!!! Adai looks so rich and yummy!!! SUch a comfort food,,

    Reply
  2. Nithya

    November 16, 2009 at 2:11 pm

    Wow.. thats a very very very cute decoration. Love it loads 🙂

    Reply
  3. prasu

    November 16, 2009 at 2:39 pm

    Wow..lovely clicks dear….healthy and yummy one…

    Reply
  4. Anncoo

    November 16, 2009 at 2:46 pm

    I really learned a lot of new things from your blog. Looks Yummy!

    Reply
  5. Sushma Mallya

    November 16, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    wow what a creativity…thats so lovely and looks really delicious…

    Reply
  6. my kitchen

    November 16, 2009 at 3:09 pm

    Healthy adai,Beautiful presentation

    Reply
  7. kamala

    November 16, 2009 at 3:28 pm

    Lovely presentation.The boat and the boatman looks so cute!!

    Reply
  8. Mythreyi Dilip

    November 16, 2009 at 3:43 pm

    Oh this is really healthy version of adding drumstick leaves to adai. I loved the presentation too…

    Reply
  9. Padma

    November 16, 2009 at 5:46 pm

    That is such a nice presentation and also a good way to tempt kids to eat… too good 🙂

    Reply
  10. kothiyavunu

    November 16, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    Yummy and healthy adai padu..Great click… 🙂

    Reply
  11. Priya

    November 16, 2009 at 7:36 pm

    Lovely presentation Padu…healthy adais looks yumm!!

    Reply
  12. Raje

    November 16, 2009 at 8:18 pm

    Healthy and yummy dish looks wonderful. Did'nt know drumstick leaves are used in cooking thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  13. Cham

    November 16, 2009 at 9:05 pm

    Very creative to serve this protein pack dish to kid!

    Reply
  14. Mishmash !

    November 17, 2009 at 5:06 am

    loved all ur veg carving creations….some made me smile…thank you 🙂 thanks for dropping by my space.

    Reply
  15. Bindhu Unny

    November 17, 2009 at 5:19 am

    Adai looks very yummy. Liked your blog and its presentation.
    I've a minor suggestion – You've mentioned adai as a South Indian recipe. I think it's a popular one in Tamil Nadu. As I am from Kerala, I know the ada there is not spicy and not made using lentils. Instead, it's made of rice flour and stuffed/mixed with coconut and jaggery/sugar. I guess it'll be better if you mention the specific area of the recipe's origin instead of giving a general region. Apologies, if I offended you.
    🙂

    Reply
    • Parvatee

      October 16, 2018 at 11:10 pm

      Actually you are only partly correct. In Kerala we do make ada dosa…and it is made with chillies! The ratio of lentils and the types of lentils vary of course. (we use toor, urad and rice in ada dosa). Ada, the sweet of course is different and is not a dosa. I am from Kerala.. 🙂

      Reply
  16. jeyashrisuresh

    November 17, 2009 at 5:34 am

    a protein packed recipe.always loved by me..Adding drumstick leaves and shallots tastes heaven..nice presentation

    Reply
  17. PadhuSankar

    November 17, 2009 at 5:54 am

    Dear Bindhu Unny, Thank you for your suggestion.I have changed it.Thank you for liking my blog and my presentation.

    Reply
  18. preethvijay

    November 17, 2009 at 7:15 am

    hi padhu thnks for visiting my blog and for ur comments. ur adai version sounds different. Looks crispy.

    Reply
  19. Sreelekha Sumesh

    November 17, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Very very healthy dish..looks wonderful.

    Reply
  20. Sreelekha Sumesh

    November 17, 2009 at 7:57 am

    Forgot to say..collect ur awards from my blog..its waiting for u..:)

    Reply
  21. Tina

    November 17, 2009 at 8:17 am

    Healthy and rich adai….

    Reply
  22. Abhilash Pillai

    November 17, 2009 at 8:22 am

    good prepration.

    Here we have adai with jaggery and coconut stuffings. This is new and appears crisp.

    I have often a dish similar to this called as onion uthappam. It looks something like this but I am not aware about the recipe of that dish.

    I like it very much.
    When I get time may be on weakends I will try your recipe of adai.

    Reply
  23. Ms.Chitchat

    November 17, 2009 at 10:32 am

    Stumbled on your blog thro' a link. You have a nice colorfl blogsite. Adai looks awesome and sure would taste heaven.

    Chitchat
    http://chitchatcrossroads.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  24. Dolly

    November 17, 2009 at 1:17 pm

    Beautiful presentation. That will surely make my kids eat. I did not know there could be so many variations in preparing Adai.

    Thanks for your comments on my blog.I'm a fairly new blogger too. You have an impressive selection of recipes for being a new blogger. Keep up the good work.

    Reply
  25. Pavithra

    November 17, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    Looks so yummy and crispy… awesome one.

    Reply
  26. Usha

    November 17, 2009 at 7:58 pm

    Adai is one of my favorites and yours have turned out beautifully ! First time here you have a cool space…

    Reply
  27. Prajusha

    November 18, 2009 at 4:38 am

    first time to ur blog .dosa looks yummy and love those vegeable carvings.
    thanks
    prajusha
    http://www.icookipost.com

    Reply
  28. Oraphan

    November 18, 2009 at 7:16 am

    That looks so amazing! I love how you decorated the dish with happy face, so adorable.
    Your blog is so wonderful, I found so many easy recipes here. Can't wait to look through your blog. Thanks for stopping by my blog and for the lovely comment:)

    Reply
  29. Babli

    November 18, 2009 at 7:52 am

    Adai looks yummy and crispy. Wonderful presentation.

    Reply
  30. Rohini

    November 18, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Thats such a cute presentation Padhu.. No doubt kids will fall for them! 😉 Adai with butter, wow, lovely combo!
    Btw, buddy, Please collect your awards from my blog! 🙂

    Reply
  31. Anncoo

    November 18, 2009 at 10:39 am

    To show my appreciation for your support, please pick the Award from my place.

    Reply
  32. Kanchan

    November 18, 2009 at 11:58 am

    Wow totally heathy adai.. do post it for Legume affair with so many legumes used 🙂

    by the way read about you @ ECs .. nice 🙂

    Reply
  33. SE(Denufood)

    November 18, 2009 at 5:54 pm

    hey..i am first time here..came through EC's blog..you've got a gr8 space…i guess we both started at the same time..good to know abt you..

    Reply
  34. Rohini

    November 18, 2009 at 6:05 pm

    And congrats for being featured in EC's blog!!

    Reply
  35. Anupama

    November 18, 2009 at 6:20 pm

    Adai is a very filling dish and since we add different kinds of lentils to it, it makes it healthier too 🙂

    Reply
  36. meeso

    November 18, 2009 at 8:03 pm

    Oh, how cute! I love this! Great blog 🙂

    Reply
  37. Sanjana

    November 19, 2009 at 12:30 pm

    Adai with butter and chutney looks amazing… something I would love to eat! The little salad pics are a great way to get little ones to eat veggies too 😀 great job! Thanks for dropping by my blog and leaving such a lovely comment, I really appreciate it! Great blog, I'm definetely following you, Padhu! Do stop by my blog often 🙂

    Reply
  38. Prasukitchen.blogspot.com

    November 19, 2009 at 2:55 pm

    nice presentation and healthy dish

    Reply
  39. Aruna Manikandan

    November 19, 2009 at 7:03 pm

    Hi Padhu,

    Kindly pick up the award from my blog dear

    with luv,
    ArunaManikandan

    Reply
  40. Supriya

    November 19, 2009 at 10:01 pm

    Adai looks healthy & delicious. U have a wonderful blog here.

    Reply
  41. Sh...

    November 20, 2009 at 3:27 am

    Thanks for leaving a comment.I love the way the dish is presented. You have a wonderful space. Glad to know about you. Will keep following

    Reply
  42. shanthi

    November 20, 2009 at 7:19 am

    Lovely adai and congrats on being featured as budding blogger

    Reply
  43. Suma Rajesh

    November 20, 2009 at 11:19 am

    looks yummy

    Reply
  44. Soma Pradhan

    November 20, 2009 at 4:16 pm

    Thhis is really amazing…Doesnt it not require any fermentation

    Reply
  45. Pavithra

    November 21, 2009 at 4:09 am

    Oh i missed to see the cute decor into in the boat.. cute presentation.

    Reply
  46. Rekha shoban

    November 26, 2009 at 10:22 am

    hi dear, thanks for visiting my blog. adai looks healthy and yummy…im following u dear

    Reply
  47. KavyaNaimish

    January 6, 2010 at 4:39 pm

    wow Padhu I loved the way U presented the food for ur kids…they must be excited cing them….1st time here…will c all ur creative ideas n will write back again…Happy New year to u n ur family

    Reply
  48. Suma Rowjee

    February 27, 2010 at 1:38 pm

    Hi Padhu! Thank you for visiting my blog! You have decorated all your dishes very creatively. Would love to try out this Adai sometime. Can raw rice be used as a substitute for the boiled rice? I normally do not stock boiled rice at home. Will be following you.

    Reply
  49. misslaroo

    January 31, 2012 at 5:05 pm

    Hello Padhu, I have a question on 'boiled rice' – do you mean parboiled or rice which has already been completely cooked? Thanks, V

    Reply
  50. PadhuSankar

    February 1, 2012 at 2:46 am

    Dear Misslaroo
    It is par boiled rice (Puzhungal Arisi)

    Reply
  51. vidya

    March 15, 2012 at 3:40 pm

    I tried this adai. It came very nice. Thank u for posting this receipe

    Reply
  52. Kavi

    April 3, 2012 at 5:36 pm

    I really impressed with your creative ideas for kids.

    Reply
  53. Subha Vivek

    April 19, 2012 at 2:27 pm

    presentation is just awesome

    Reply
  54. Anonymous

    May 9, 2012 at 8:48 pm

    dont we have to fermentate?

    Reply
  55. PadhuSankar

    May 10, 2012 at 5:46 am

    There is not need to ferment but if you like it a bit sour you can leave it for 4-5 hours and then prepare adai. Usually I grind it in the afternoon to make adai for dinner.

    Reply
  56. VP San

    May 22, 2012 at 5:03 am

    Thanks Padhu all recipes were nice. I tried and enjoyed it too. Yummy……

    Reply
  57. VP San

    May 22, 2012 at 5:04 am

    Hi Padhu all your recipes were wonderful. i tried it and enjoyed it … yummy

    Reply
  58. SirisFood

    August 14, 2012 at 10:32 am

    Loveely recipes…nice to follow you..

    Visit mine when free

    Reply
  59. akshaya

    August 18, 2012 at 8:22 am

    really very good presentation…its a healthy recipe and one of my favorites…we can also sprinkle…grated paneer…while serving….just for a change….otherwise this itself is filling…great!!

    Reply
  60. Sud Kris

    October 16, 2012 at 10:08 pm

    Great and keep rocking

    Reply
  61. shirin sitara

    November 1, 2012 at 6:18 am

    Hi Padhu,
    What is raw rice? Please explain…

    Reply
  62. PadhuSankar

    November 1, 2012 at 4:02 pm

    Dear Shirin

    Raw rice is pachaarisi in tamil

    Reply
  63. i m Possible

    May 2, 2013 at 11:37 am

    wonderful post !

    Reply
  64. Srikanth

    June 26, 2013 at 3:41 pm

    Adai is my favourite and my mom does it nicely.Yours is similar to what my mom makes.yummy.

    Reply
  65. Nisha Hussain

    September 23, 2013 at 10:01 am

    Hi Padhu… your recipes are awesome….

    Reply
  66. Cool gurlz

    November 2, 2013 at 6:02 pm

    I tried it for the 1st time.. yummy recepie. Every1 in my home love it..

    Reply
  67. Shailaja V

    April 23, 2014 at 5:29 pm

    Really admire the step by step recipes, Padhu 🙂

    Reply
  68. Unknown

    May 30, 2014 at 4:50 am

    Love Adai. Your recipe is great. You also capture such wonderful and mouth watering photos. Your blog is a great motivator for cooking enthusiasts like me. Thank you and keep it coming.

    Reply
  69. APD

    May 31, 2014 at 3:23 am

    Hi, I have tried.so many recipes of yours and i am fan of your recipe .especially j want to thank you for the kids recipe ideas.

    Reply
  70. Aswathy Asok

    June 29, 2014 at 2:08 pm

    Hi Padhu, just wanted you to know that I gained confidence in cooking after trying our your recipes. Keep up the good work. Just wanted to know whether we need to use an actual dosa grinder to make the batter or do we just use a mixie?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      July 11, 2014 at 7:46 am

      Thank you so much Aswathy. Glad to know that you found my blog useful. You can grind for adai in mixie. For idli and dosa also, you can use the Indian mixie but I personally prefer the grinder as it gives more volume to the batter.

      Reply
    • Unknown

      January 3, 2015 at 7:50 pm

      The common feeling among many fine cooks is :- For adai batter, you can use the mixie since you'll be using the batter soon after. For dosa and idli, where you need to ferment the batter overnight, it is best to use a grinder. The mixie heats up the batter a little and this affects the final taste, the texture/consistency etc. A little finicky perhaps, but I think it's true.

      Reply
  71. Raji

    November 1, 2014 at 1:52 pm

    Hi, I tried this..taste wise it came out well…but I didn't get the same color..it was kind of pale yellow…not sure why…
    Anyways I have tried many of your recipes…really awesome..keep up the good work…Thanks

    Reply
  72. deepali kubal

    December 15, 2015 at 8:59 am

    Hi Padhu.. I tried the Adai recipe today for breakfast.. It really turned out awesome. Its really filling and power pack..
    Rava Dosa i like a lot.. its my favorite.. your recipe made it turned out to be wonderful…
    Thanks a lot.

    Reply
  73. Bhuns Giri

    February 24, 2016 at 1:32 pm

    Vow. Good presentation. Parkumpothe sapidanum pol ulladhu.thanks a lot for ur recipe. What s meant by Hing?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      February 25, 2016 at 1:07 pm

      Thank you. Asafoetida is perugayam in Tamil and hing in Hindi

      Reply
  74. Unknown

    May 27, 2016 at 11:43 pm

    Hi Padhu! I usually make very good adai but this time, when I soaked for adai, I poured boiling hot water from the kettle on all of the grains (I was in a rush, what was I thinking?) and my guess is that the rice got cooked. I still ground everything to a paste and tried to make the adai but it did not work. What can I do with the batter now? I would hate to throw it all away! Any suggestions you could give would be greatly appreciated!

    Reply
  75. Padmaja R

    July 9, 2016 at 12:28 pm

    Hi Padhu! I tried this and it came out well. My colleagues liked it a lot…

    Reply
  76. Pratima Vijay

    July 17, 2016 at 5:13 pm

    Hi padhu! Recipie is really good,but I have only mixer to grind and adai is turning hard(not soft) can u plz suggest any tip for me.
    Thank u

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      July 18, 2016 at 5:51 am

      You can use mixie for grinding adai batter. Add little water and grind it slightly coarse (not too coarse).Adai tastes heavenly when you add lot of finely chopped onions.

      Reply
  77. Unknown

    July 22, 2016 at 1:00 pm

    I enjoyed all the recipes from your blog .thank you for your beautiful and clear explanation. Especially health mix for my kids worked very good.go ahead and give us more recipes

    Reply
  78. kalaivani

    August 28, 2016 at 2:34 pm

    Does it need to be fermented

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      August 29, 2016 at 7:23 am

      No need to ferment. You can grind 2 hours before making adais.

      Reply
  79. Aru

    September 11, 2016 at 11:00 am

    Thanks for the recipe, Padhu. It came out wonderfully. Though I admit I did not use green chillies and red chillies but used chilly flakes instead.

    Reply
  80. Sakthi

    November 8, 2016 at 4:04 pm

    Tried this recipe and it tasted good!! Thank you!

    Reply
  81. Lavanya

    December 12, 2016 at 5:06 pm

    Hi,
    You should try for Amul master chef

    Reply
  82. Suja

    December 20, 2016 at 3:32 pm

    Lovely presentation and awesome pic….My mom always use to do this recipe and its my alltime fav..

    Reply
  83. G vani

    January 6, 2017 at 9:14 am

    Today I tried cucumber kootu it turn out excellent. Everybody in my family love to have. Thanks Padhu.

    Reply
  84. Shuba Visalakshi

    May 1, 2017 at 6:29 pm

    Ms.Padhu Sankar..Thankyou so much. When I try out your recipes, they taste just the way my Mom makes them..This wouldn't have been possible without your blog..

    Reply
  85. Seetha Lakshmi

    May 15, 2017 at 9:24 pm

    Hello madam, I have tried some of ur recipes and they came out really good. Here in this adai recipe it's mentioned parboiled rice.i want to know if Sona masoori rice is parboiled rice and if I can add dat for batter..

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      May 16, 2017 at 10:56 am

      Par boiled rice is pulungal arisi. You can use idli rice also. If you cannot get that, you can use sona masoori rice also.

      Reply
  86. Radhika

    July 28, 2017 at 5:30 am

    Hi, when I was searching for a recipe for Adai, I decided to try out this one because rice and dal quantities are almost equal(I was looking for high protein. Now, this is the version I always make. I think the boiled rife is what makes it not so hard and delicious. Though I do soak the boiled rice for almost double the time as the rest of ingredients to make it easier for my mixer. Thank you

    Reply
  87. Pavithra Radhakrishnan

    September 23, 2017 at 10:01 am

    It came out loverly several times I tried this recipe. I started adding little Pearl millet, samba rice without altering the taste for added health benefits. Yummy recipe. Thanks

    Reply
  88. Lakshmi KrishnaKumaar

    May 1, 2018 at 3:01 am

    Hi padhu sankar thanks for the receipe
    How many days can we store the batter in fridge?

    Reply
  89. Unknown

    November 9, 2018 at 1:59 pm

    Hi padhu today i tried this adai taste was super thank you

    Reply
  90. Vnarayn

    March 16, 2019 at 12:36 pm

    Hi,

    You mentioned using the grinder instead of mixie…what is the grinding time?

    Reply
    • Padhu Sankar

      March 19, 2019 at 11:34 am

      If you grind it in grinder, you have to see to it that it does not grind it finely. Timings differ. So you have to check it.

      Reply
  91. Krithika

    June 18, 2019 at 10:21 pm

    Does the batter have to be fermented ?

    Reply
    • PadhuSankar

      June 20, 2019 at 11:34 am

      Not required to ferment the batter for adai.

      Reply
  92. Sulochana sundaram

    February 24, 2021 at 5:47 pm

    Always loved your recepies and the presentation thanks a million abig god bless

    Reply

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Meet Padhu, the Chef, the photographer, recipe developer and web designer behind Padhuskitchen which features Simple Indian Vegetarian recipes, healthy recipes, kids friendly recipes, Indian festival recipes, traditional South Indian Vegetarian ...

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