ADAI or MIXED LENTIL DOSA - a  nutritious and high protein savory pancake traditionally enjoyed by south Indians for breakfast with their favorite coconut chutney. South Indians love making dosas (rice-lentil savory crepes) and idlis (steamed rice-lentil savory cakes) for breakfast; our staple morning treat with our favorite coconut chutneys. Traditional dosas and idli batters are made by soaking lentils and rice/millets for a few hours, blending in a table top blender or in a grinder to a smooth batter, fermented overnight and then made into dosas or idlis. But sometimes, I become a big fan of instant dosas which need no fermentation and this is happening more often now during this pandemic what with keeping up with the chores, hobbies, exercise which is of utmost importance even more so now and blogging to be done in between! This Adai dosa or dosai is one such easy yet healthy, healthy dosa which I love! I remember, when I used to have my husband’s cousin and her family over for the weekend during our stay in Denver, USA, this was our favorite breakfast to wake up to!

WHAT IS ADAI?

This instant crepe like dosa (rice-lentil batter) has origins from Tamilnadu, a southern Indian state. It is a protein rich mix of lentils and rice, soaked and blended to a fine paste with chilies (traditionally dry red) and then made into dosas or thin pancakes.

Every household has its own variation. Although I started using dry red chilies in the batter and the red color of the batter sort of resembles our Konkani savory pancake Sanna Polo (with almost similar ingredients) which we normally eat with rice and dal, my husband was not too fond of the same color and almost same flavor in his dosa! Then a big switcheroo and I used green chilies. Voila! No more sanna polo like look; but a green dosa! Traditionally, moong dal is used (the yellow split variety), but I am not a stickler for anything that everyone makes; hence substituted it with whole moong beans; more nutritious and our favorite legume! So, as you see, the dosa turned out totally green which we love; #gogreen!!! Feeling adventurous and want to secretly sneak in more veggies in your family’s diet? Then stir in grated carrots, beetroots, chopped greens like spinach, moringa leaves, methi leaves or cilantro in the batter! This is such a forgiving dosa batter; substitute the types of lentils a bit and it still comes out delicious! Make it thin, thick, crispy or soft; you will be able to satiate the whole family’s whims and fancies as far as their choice of texture is concerned!

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Adai or for that matter any south Indian dosa or idli tastes best with some delicious, freshly made coconut chutney! My current favorite is freshly made coconut chutney using grated coconut, roasted dry red chilies, a handful of freshly chopped mangoes and a dash of dry coriander seeds! Being mango season, I used chopped raw mangoes in the place of tamarind in my coconut chutney. If you cannot find mangoes, then use tamarind; fresh or in paste form. Recipe for coconut chutney is given below.

But if you do not have grated coconut in your home, then feel free to enjoy these green, delicious, healthy south Indian delights with your favorite Indian pickles, molaga podi/chutney powder or even sambar if that is your thing! Do give this easy, nutritious, protein-rich, south Indian delight Adai a try and I am sure this will be a permanent fixture in your recipe repertoire to make again and again for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner!

If you are a dosa lover (or anyone in your family), then do peep into these too:

Healthy Brown Rice and Quinoa Dosa Ragi Rava Dosa with Dill Leaves Paneer Uttapam Surnali Dosa (savory and sweet)

Now, do check out how I made this delicious, instant and super easy Adai:

STEP-WISE INSTRUCTIONS TO MAKE MULTI-LENTIL ADAI DOSA:

TO MAKE THE ADAI BATTER:

Wash rice and lentils thoroughly and soak overnight or for 4 to 5 hours. Cook Time: 20 minutes

FOR ADAI: ½ cup rice (any variety of rice) ¼ each green moong whole ¼ cup urad dal (split and deskinned or whole deskinned) ¼ cup chana dal (split bengal gram dal) ½ tsp hing powder Salt to taste Oil for shallow frying the dosa FOR THE MANGO CORIANDER COCONUT CHUTNEY: 1 cup grated coconut (fresh or frozen) 3 to 4 pieces of chopped raw mango (peeled) 5 to 7 dry red chilies lightly roasted. I have used a mix of fiery red chilies and byadgi chilies which ihave less heat or spice (you can use 1 tsp of red chili powder instead too) 1 tbsp coriander seeds Salt to taste FOR TEMPERING OF CHUTNEY: 2 tsp coconut oil (or any cooking oil) 1 tsp mustard seeds Few curry leaves

Instructions Notes If you prefer the traditional variety of red adai, use dry red chilies instead of the fresh green chilies. You can add it while blending the batter or soak along with the lentils. Adjust the amount of chilies according to your taste. When mangoes are not in season, use tamarind (fresh or in paste form in the chutney) For a lovely and interesting variation, stir in grated veggies or finely chopped greens in the batter. Stir in cumin seeds, ginger or even garlic for a different taste and aroma to the batter while blending. Have fun making and enjoying this super easy dosa!

Drain and blend with 2 green chilies until smooth with a little water. Transfer the batter to a bowl, add hing powder (optional but helps in easy digestion of lentils) and salt to taste. Adjust consistency of batter to make a runny but thick batter (you can use the water that is used to rinse the blender jar).

TO MAKE ADAIS:

Heat an iron or non-stick griddle pan until hot. Spread ladles of batter on the hot griddle, in a circular pattern and make thin or medium thick dosa/crepes. Drizzle oil on top and around the dosa; cook covered on medium heat.

When the top is almost dry and the bottom of the dosa is light brown, flip the dosa and cook again for a few seconds.

When both the sides are cooked and light brown, remove using a spatula and serve hot with your favorite coconut chutney! Make as many adais as you like and refrigerate leftover batter for later use.

TO MAKE MANGO-CORIANDER CHUTNEY:

If using dry red chilies, roast them in a small saucepan on medium heat until lightly roasted. Add all the ingredients for chutney into a blender jar. If using tamarind (fresh or in paste form), use that instead of mangoes.

Using a little water, blend to a fine paste.

Once done, remove from jar to a serving bowl. Add salt to taste and adjust consistency to make a flowing thick or thin chutney.

TO MAKE TEMPERING FOR COCONUT CHUTNEY:

Heat oil in a small saucepan and once hot, add the mustard seeds. As soon as they almost stop spluttering and popping, add the curry leaves, sauté for a few seconds on medium heat and pour the tempering over the chutney. Mix well and serve with dosas, idlis, uttapams, appes etc.

Enjoy and Happy Cooking!

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