Adai is a Dosa-like dish prepared from a combination of lentils and rice. It’s a very healthy, wholesome, crispy, delicious, protein-rich and nutrient-dense south Indian breakfast recipe.
Jump to:
The adai recipe I am sharing today is my way of making adai recipe and is very basic.
Each household has its own proportions and the types of lentils they use. Also, the spices and seasonings added can vary from family to family.
Traditionally it is served with vegetable stew and is a classic combo for breakfast for many south Indians.
But, my family prefers to eat with various chutney like coconut chutney, Tomato chutney or peanut chutney or just with pickle.
You can make this recipe not just for breakfast, but can also make this for light lunch or dinner.
It tastes so good that you will make it again and again.
The bonus point is, it doesn’t require fermentation. but sure resting the adai batter for a couple of hours helps to enhance the flavors.
Ingredients required
- Rice
- Chana dal
- Urad dal
- Toor dal
- Green chilies
- Red dried chilies
- Green chilies
- Cumin seeds
- Salt
- Ginger
- Curry leaves
How to make Adai Dosa?
Take a bowl and add Tur dal, Chana dal, Urad dal, and Rice. Wash it properly and drain all the water.
Add 3 cups of water. Soak it overnight or at least for 5 hours.
Drain all the water.
Take all the soaked ingredients, Ginger, red dried chilies, green chilies, curry leaves, salt, cumin seeds along with the water in a blender jar.
Blend the ingredients to make a smooth paste. (not very smooth, slightly coarse).
Allow resting the batter for an hour.
Heat a Tava or griddle over a medium to high heat. Pour one big spoon (preferable round ladle) full of batter and spread it into a thin dosa.
Apply oil or ghee on sides of Adai Dosa.
Optional – Sprinkle cheese or any vegetable you like.
Cook it until golden brown from the bottom. Roll it.
Serve Adai Dosa hot with any chutney of your choice.
The recipe for adai is extremely simple without much fuss, yet below are some easy tips and variations to take into consideration while making this healthy dosa recipe.
Notes and pro-tips:
- You can easily eliminate one of the lentils mentioned in the recipe ingredients. ex: you can skip toor dal and increase the quantity of other dal. It tastes great too.
- Traditionally, The batter of adai is thick and dosa turns to be thick like a chila. But I prefer to make it with a thin batter.
- It can be made thick or thin, soft or crisp all to suit your taste. We like it thin and crispy adai dosa.
- Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding more water.
- You can add garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves, or green chutney to make it more flavorful.
- I have used sona masoori rice. You may use parboiled rice too.
- This recipe doesn’t require long fermentation like regular dosa. However, allow the batter to rest for about 1 to 2 hours as this helps in giving the adai a better taste and texture.
- You can skip red dried chilies and green chilies.
Looking for more dosa recipes?
★ Have you tried this recipe? We’ll love your feedback, Please click on the stars in the recipe card below to rate and leave your feedback in the comment box below.
Subscribe to our YouTube Channel for tasty and easy video recipes.
Adai Dosa
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Tur dal
- ¼ cup Chana Dal
- ¼ cup Urad Dal
- 1 cup Rice
- 10 Curry leaves
- 2 Dry Red Whole chilies
- Salt to taste
- Oil or ghee
- 2 inch ginger
- 2 green chilies
- ½ tablespoon cumin seeds
- 3+1 cup water
Instructions
- Take a bowl and add Tur dal, Chana dal, Urad dal, and Rice. Wash it properly and drain all the water.
- Add 3 cups of water. Soak it overnight or at least for 5 hours.
- Drain all the water.
- Take all the soaked ingredients, cumin seeds, curry leaves, red dried chilies, green chilies, salt, ginger along with the water in a blender jar.
- Blend the ingredients to make a smooth paste. (not very smooth, slightly coarse).
- Allow resting the batter for an hour.
- Heat a Tava or griddle over a medium to high heat. Pour one big spoon (preferable round ladle) full of batter and spread it into a thin dosa.
- Apply oil or ghee on sides of Adai Dosa.
- Optional – Sprinkle cheese or any vegetable you like.
- Cook it until golden brown from the bottom. Roll it.
- Serve Adai Dosa hot with any chutney of your choice.
Video
Notes
- You can easily eliminate one of the lentils mentioned in the recipe ingredients. ex: you can skip toor dal and increase the quantity of other dal. It tastes great too.
- Traditionally, The batter of adai is thick and dosa turns to be thick like a chila. But I prefer to make it with a thin batter.
- It can be made thick or thin, soft or crisp all to suit your taste. We like it thin and crispy adai dosa.
- Adjust the consistency of the batter by adding more water.
- You can add garlic, coriander leaves, mint leaves, or green chutney to make it more flavorful.
- I have used sona masoori rice. You may use parboiled rice too.
- This recipe doesn’t require long fermentation like regular dosa. However, allow the batter to rest for about 1 to 2 hours as this helps in giving the adai a better taste and texture.
- You can skip red dried chilies.
- Updated the post with new content and photos, originally published on Oct. 2014.
Nutrition
Warm regards,
Dhwani.
i will be tryimg this today with onion chutney .thanks!
Thanks Roopa….M sure you and your family will like it…:)
hi
wondering what is different here then traditional dosa?
I thought if better is not fermented dosa becomes chewy, why will above dosa will not become like that can you explain?
Hi Khyati…
Difference is, Traditional Dosa is made with rice and Urad dal(1:1/2 Proportion)…where as adai dosa is made with combination of different dals and rice(3/4 : 1 Proportion). This proportion and chana dal makes it very crispy. And no need to ferment the batter.
Can I use idli rice instead of basmati rice?
Hi Neha.. Idli rice is preferred to get the best result. Basmati rice is ok if idli rice is not available.
Hi Dhwani I made Adai dosa today and they came out
Awesome. My whole family enjoyed it
and onion chutney with it, super combination.
Thanx.
Hey Viral!!!!
I am glad You and your family liked it…Thanx for your feedback. 🙂
Hi, I am planning to make this today. Can i use Idli rawa instead of idli rice?
Hi Snehal…Yes u can use Idli Rava instead of Idli rice…Soak It separately for 5 hours or so. After Crushing all the lentils/dal, mix soaked Idli Rava with crushed lentils/Dal and make Adai Dosa.
can I get the receipe of onion chutney
Here you go……..
https://www.cookingcarnival.com/onion-chutney/
Wat is boiled rice and regular rice. From where we get it.
While grinding , do I drain all the water in which I soaked the daals and rice ?
No Rashmi. Grind Dal and rice with that water only.
Hi Author I made this dosa today..same as per receipe ..but not come out like above pics…it’s not crispe. Pls guide
Hi!
Did you spread them even and thin? If the dosa is thick, it wont come out crispy.
Hi. What about the fermentation. ?
hi!
This dosa doesn’t require fermentation. 🙂
Can we use rice flour instead of rice ? If yes , should it be 1 cup ?
Yes, Aarti! Use 1.5 cups of rice flour.