Adai | Multi Lentil Dosa

I first heard about Preethi Mixer from my friend and ex neighbour Preethi, who once told me that any bride, student or working professional who left to go out side the country from the South, made sure that they carried a Preethi mixer along. This was reiterated by another friend which got me intrigued.

After these mentions, I did my research and bought a new Preethi mixer for my kitchen, nearly a decade ago. I even gifted a Preethi mixer to my sister when she came to visit me the first time after she got married.

Since there is a lot of grinding that happens in my kitchen, I went through another brand of mixer during this period. And then it was time to replace the mixer again. The timing was perfect when Preethi Kitchen Appliances sent me Preethi Zodiac Mixer Grinder, a powerhouse of a machine.

While I'm yet to explore it's many features, I loved using this mixer grinder to grind my adai batter. The 750W motor which comes with a five year warranty is quite a work horse and I'm eagerly waiting to grind hard ingredients like turmeric and urad dal in it. Adai dosa or pancake made with different kinds of lentils is something that I regularly feature on my instagram stories, and it is a recipe that has been requested many many times.

Adai is a dosa like recipe with origins in Tamil Nadu but is made with variations across the South Indian states. And even in Tamil Nadu, every household would have its own variation of Adai.

My Adai recipe is an ancient recipe got from our family friends. But there is no hard and fast rule that I stick to the same recipe all the time. For instance during the chaturmasya season, when I was fasting from urad dal for a month, I substituted the urad dal with toor dal and it worked just fine.

I have friends who add all kinds of lentils to their adai batter and it looks fantastic! But I like to stick to this basic adai batter as the lentils in this recipe are relatively easier to digest. According to Ayurveda, foods that are easy to digest are light on the digestive system and this helps in preventing disease.

Another highlight of Adai is that unlike most dosa batters this batter is not fermented. This makes it great for people who are allergic to fermented foods and also those who follow a gluten free diet.

But the number one reason you must be making adai is for its taste quotient. Filled with nutrients, it also is a very healthy breakfast, brunch or dinner option. You could also put in vegetables inside the batter, making it more healthy. Think, greens, grated carrots or beets or pumpkin.

I often make mini adais with ghee or sesame oil and sprinkle it with my dry chutney powder for my son's snack box.

And for those of you who are in market for a new mixer grinder, you must check out the features of Preethi Zodiac.

I serve adai with fresh coconut chutney or sesame seed chutney or dry chutney powder and jaggery. Drops of sesame oil mixed with dry chutney powder is also a great combination. Ending my last bite with a little jaggery tucked into the folds of a piece of adai is not just a sweet ending but an explosion of flavours to relish. Hope you will savour this as much as I do.

P.S- For more information on Preethi Zodiac, check this link.

Adai | Multi Lentil Dosa Recipe

Ingredients:

1 cup (200 gm) raw rice

½ cup (100 gm) moong dal

½ cup (100 gm) urad dal

½ cup (100 gm) channa dal

2 dry red chilies

¾ tsp yellow asafetida or ½ tsp brown asafetida powder

1 ½ tsp salt

water to grind

 

Method:

Wash and soak the rice, the dals and the red chili for 4 to 6 hours or overnight.

After the rice and lentils are soaked, drain the water. Place half the portion of the soaked ingredients, add a little water (start with ½ to 3/4^th cup and add more if required to get a cake like batter) and grind until smooth. Repeat for the remaining ingredients.

Add asafetida and salt and mix well.

Heat a tava or griddle and once it is hot, turn down the heat and smear it with some oil using a cut portion of raw potato or tomato. This ensures that the dosa does not stick to the pan.

Pour a ladle of batter in the centre of the griddle and spread it quickly into a thin large circle.

Pour a tsp of oil around the edges and cook on medium heat until the dosa is crisp and golden. Once the dosa is cooked, flip over and cook for about a minute more.

Fold and serve with coconut chutney or any other chutney of your choice.