Adai
A thick, protein-rich savoury pancake made from a mixed batter of rice and lentils, ground coarse and cooked crisp, a Tamil household favourite.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Total
- 45 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 280 kcal
Equipment
- •Tava
- •Blender
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- fat
- 8 g
- carbs
- 42 g
- fibre
- 5 g
- protein
- 11 g
- calories
- 280 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Soak the rice, toor dal, chana dal, urad dal, and dried red chillies together for 3-4 hours.
- 2
Drain the soaked ingredients. Grind them with asafoetida and a little water into a thick, rough batter.
- 3
Stir the salt, chopped onion, curry leaves, and cumin seeds into the batter.
- 4
Heat a tava (flat griddle). Pour a ladle of batter and spread it into a thick circle using the ladle back.
- 5
Drizzle oil around the edges. Cook over medium heat until the bottom is golden and crisp.
- 6
Flip the pancake over. Cook the other side until golden brown spots appear.
- 7
Repeat these steps with the remaining batter.
- 8
Serve hot with avial (mixed vegetable curry), jaggery, or coconut chutney.
Chef's tips
Grind the batter rough, not smooth, for the classic rustic adai texture. You do not need to ferment it, so you can cook it immediately.
Ingredient substitutions
- toor dal → moong dal
Storage
Batter keeps refrigerated for 2 days.
Reheating
Reheat leftover adai on a hot tava for a couple of minutes each side.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Grinding the batter too smooth, which loses the traditional texture
- •Spreading the adai too thin, making it tear when flipped
Serving suggestions
Cooked Adai?
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