Adai recipe – How to make Adai – Once you try this traditional way, the recipe followed for many years, you will fall for it. Quick video, step wise pictures.
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We also call adai as “orappu adai”(spicy-hot adai). My mom’s sister’s (periyamma) place is very much famous for Adai . That place is famous for guest.
I mean, always somebody will be visiting their home 😊. If no body is there, neighborhood friends/relatives atleast will come over for lunch/dinner.
It’s basically a village and almost the area have more of their relatives only. So the house will always be in a festive mood 😀.
And if somebody visits their place, if they come to know, they will soak for Adai. But trust me they make the best Adais .
May be that’s what they call “graamathu kaimanam”. When we were kids, we long to go there for vacation, for those greenery where ever we look.
A house by itself is like a marriage hall, innocent people and the most important reason is the ‘bore set’ which gushes water for the garden and we used to go and take bath in it.
Side dish
We think that as a mini waterfall and used to enjoy a lot. Used to take bath for hours and hours.
I will be mostly accompanied by my cousin Priya, my close friend those days she too is of my same age so we used to be thick friends.
All those days are full of laughter, happiness and we never close our mouth😆.
Why I love this?
My mom makes equally tasty Adai, which I am still struggling to get. My MIL makes a slightly different version, but somehow, I love this one a lot.
Top tips
She just makes perfect tasting Adais, crispy and soft too (meaning not hard), with lots of shallots/ small onions.
She never makes Adai, if there’s no stock of shallots/small onions. And also she makes thick, how an Adai is meant to be.
We always grind rice and dal separately, dal being ground coarsely. As far as I know, if we grind rice and dal together and a bit smooth, make it thin then its called adai dosai.
But we all like the Adai version better. You can see a beautiful Adai dosai here.
Variations
- Add finely chopped coconut or grated coconut.
- If you like fennel flavor you can add fennel seeds while grinding. I have not tried this but I have heard in restaurants they do so.
- Add legumes along reducing dal quantity. Example, chickpeas, black eyed peas.
- My mom says they don’t even add urad dal or moong dal those days.
- You can pat the adai batter grinding it thick, instead of making it as batter.
Recipe card
Adai recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup Raw rice
- 1 cup Idli rice/ parboiled rice
- ½ cup Chana dal/ Kadalai paruppu
- ¼ cup Toor dal/ thuvaram paruppu
- ⅛ cup Urad dal/ uluntham paruppu
- ⅛ cup Moong dal/ paasi paruppu –
- 1 cup Small onions/shallots chopped
- 4 tablespoon Coriander leaves chopped optional
- 2 sprigs curry leaves
- ¼ teaspoon Asafoetida
- 15 Red chillies
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Soak rice and dal separately for 3 hrs minimum. First grind the red chillies with salt, asafoetida and then add rice.
- Grind it to a coarse paste (like rava). Add dal. Use the pulse,inch or juice option to grind this dals coarsely. Make sure to wipe the sides and lids for even grinding.
- This should be more coarse in texture as shown in the picture. Mix both the ground items well and set aside. You can keep upto 3-4 hours, or even make immediately. But standing time yields better result.
- Just before making adai, add the onions, coriander, curry leaves and mix well. The batter should be thicker than our idly dosa batter. So adjust water as needed.
- Heat the tawa and spread little oil and spread one laddle full of batter as thick adais,make a small hole in the middle and again pour little oil around. Let it get cooked for sometime.Turn over the adai and cook the other side too till golden brown. (you can cook covered with a lid, before flipping )
Video
Notes
- You can add 2-3 tablespoons of finely chopped carrot as my MIL does. Also you can add chopped spring onions ,if you have any in hand.
- Remember, small onions tastes best, so use lots of onion and if possible fully small onions, if lazy or don’t have in stock, mix both and make. More the onion in the batter, more tasty the adai gets.
- I soak for minimum 3 hours. Mom soaks just for an hour and gives resting time more. It gives really crispier results.
- Also can add drumstick leaves to this Adai!
- Don’t be stingy in asafetida and also adding oil to the adai, once in a while its okie right?
- We usually grind in early evening and make adai in night for dinner.
How to make adai step by step method:
1. Soak rice and dal separately for 3 hrs minimum. First grind the red chillies with salt, asafoetida and then add rice.
2. Grind it to a coarse paste (like rava). Add dal. Use the pulse, inch or juice option to grind this dals coarsely. Make sure to wipe the sides and lids for even grinding.
3. This should be more coarse in texture as shown in the picture. Mix both the ground items well and set aside. You can keep upto 3-4 hours, or even make immediately. But standing time yields better result.
5. Just before making adai, add the onions, coriander, curry leaves and mix well. The batter should be thicker than our idly dosa batter. So adjust water as needed.
6. Heat the tawa and spread little oil and spread one ladle full of batter as thick adais, make a small hole in the middle and again pour little oil around. Let it get cooked for sometime. Turn over the adai and cook the other side too till golden brown. (you can cook covered with a lid, before flipping)
These adais are crispy outside and soft from inside and has an awesome texture as we grind it coarsely. Enjoy with your favorite chutney or avial which is said to be the perfect combo!
Wow super adai. Mouthwatering…. Looks so yummy and delicious..
Looks delicious, I always grind the rice along with the Paruppu coarsely. Nice tip on grinding the rice smooth, would love to have it with Jaggery & Ghee.
i made it yesterday only. Even my mom never makes if there are no small onions at home.I add a small cup of finely chopped cabbage to it and it also enhances the taste.
I still remmber my childhood days,my grandma used to make adai,keeping the gas stove on the floor and very took lot of time to make a adai.oops heavenly taste.
pictures super.
Tempting Pictures Raji..slurrp..I am hungry again
Awesome… Love it…
Mmmmmmm i love adais so much looks so tempting.. I love your step by step pictures always,.
Picture perfect Adai dear Raks. I too have some soaked chana dal, will make an adai I guess..hehe!
our favourite at home…looks very tempting..have never tried adding shallots ..sounds good..
I make it a bit different , my mom's method.I dont add urad & moong dal..will try once 🙂 nice clix 🙂
Mouthwatering Adai:)
isn't this absolutely yummy with aviyal? i love the version they have in grand sweets!
Loved the step by step pic as usual…really looking good esp the colour of it…
Adai looks delicious…orappu adai makes me hungry yaa..
Looks super and yummy.
Looks delicious..i made it yesterday only.Awesome step by step pic!
visit to villages during childhood days was a pure bliss. You have written about that village so well that I could visualize it.
Coming to adai, it is very well explained. I shall try your version for sure.
Finally, awesome pictures.
the photos are awesome..i too love to have it with jaggery and ghee. 🙂
True thick hot adais where the dollop of ghee is just melting and the jaggery melting in the heat has no comparison.I'm drooling.
nice click….tempting
Wow.. Mouthwatering Adai.. i always gring the rice along with dhals,next time i will try ur method.thxs for the info..
I always like to have karaAdai with jaggery nice tip and beautiful pic.
Lovely lovely adai. Villages are the best places for food, relatives and a very very happy life.
Looks Awesome ! Thanx for sharing da!
Excellent Adai!Great Picture:)
Love the color of the adai…looks so crispy and delicious..this is my hubby's fav 🙂
that's one delicious plate, yum!
Now this is too bad, my mouth is really watering, i am feeling hungry all over again, i showed your photo's just now to hubby, he loves them, he just said, thumba divsa aaythu naavu maadona (it's been long time we will also make it ) they are delicious, lovely photos as usual dear, my mom used to grind it smooth but, MIL doesn't like it that way, i mean hubby's whole family want it coarsely done, i use mint, coriander, onion, curry leaves finely chopped with grated coconut sometimes with it.
Wow…mouth watering adai…i hubby likes but twice i tried and ended up in a mess:))
hmm never tried this before…
I have a small doubt raji…i would like to send few recipes for your event…but i dont have a software to create a collage of all the pics…if its fine with you can i send you those individual pics and maybe you can create a grouped pic…
Looks yummy dear.. It looks very crisp.. You have added all the dhals, very nutritious. Will give it a try.. And awesoem pics as usual
Looks delicious …nice click
எங்கள் வீட்டிலும் இதே மாதிரி தான் அடை செய்வோம்…எங்கள் வீட்டில் அனவைருக்கும் இந்த அடை என்றால் மிகவும் விருப்பம்.
போட்டோஸ் அழகாக எடுத்து இருக்கின்றிங்க…வாழ்த்துகள்..
Oh wow..so many dal make it healthier and yummier…..drool worthy pics….
nice shots we also use to call this as orappu adai. good with jaggery too
Lovely color..looks very tempting.. mouthwatering clicks
Varra varra recipes akattum pictures akattum melum melum sooper ave poikitteyirukku.. 🙂
i guess i will mke this for tomorrows breakfast,..
Super recipe yaar. Looks hot and delicious, nice click!
Adai looks so crispy n delicious. My all time fav:)
I made adai n aviyal last weekend . Its lying in my drafts.
Your look brillaint. Crispy nice adai.
Strayed into your blog by chance. Wonderful discovery for me !….Urad dal in adai is new to me. I too add carrot,cabbage,onion etc to make adai more tempting.
I have heard so much about the Adai-aviyal combo,but haven't tasted it yet.You have explained the recipe so well..I might just give it a try!!
your recipes are yummmmmmmmmmmmmy and deliiiiiiicious. superb photos………..
your recipes are yummmmmmmmmmmmmy and deliiiiiiicious. superb photos………..
Hi mam….it is yummy. since two days i am browsing only your web site, all the recipes are very very good. The method is like my mom's cooking. i like it very much. Parameswari
Thank you so much Parameswari 🙂
hai rajji i tried this adai this is really delicious
does this recipe call for 2 cups of rice??? 1 each of raw rice n idli rice??
Yes gayathri, 1 cup each, so 2 cups of rice.
i usually search for recipes through google images. and I have to tell u ur adai pic stood out of the crowd. gr8 fotos.
Your recipes and pics are awesome. We make Adai too. But with toor dal and channa dal proportion reversed.. Also we ferment it like we do the dosa batter. The raw smell of Dals in the Adai won't be there.
hai madam what is fist full
hai madam what is fist full
Hi, if you take the ingredient in your hand and close, it's fist full.
Tried this today , awesome texture it had . Thanks Raks for all ur recipes !!
Dear Raks nice recipe, I hav a doubt as m bit unfamiliar with South Indian food, Do tell me what is the difference between raw rice and idli rice? Can I make ths recipe using the plain raw rice we use for our day to day cooking? Awaiting ur suggestion..Thx in advance…:-)
Raw rice is what we cook for eating. Idli rice will be more short and parboiled rice which cannot be cooked for our lunch. Only used to make batter for idli and dosa. Uncanny sure replace it with any eating rice like raw rice or parboiled rice. You can ask for idli rice in any South Indian shops.
1 cup is hw many grams
Looks amazing.
I made adai exactly as per your instructions. It turned out to be the yummiest adai we have had. Thank you so much!
Hi, can the batter be prepared today and used in the following days (by mixing onions etc.) as and when we need to make the adai?
Yes you can grind and keep refrigerated. Just mix onion when needed. Do not add onion and refrigerate.
Hi.. Yummy adai…tried out for the first time but it turned out a little Watery.. Can you please help? 🙁
Keep t refrigerated, soak again little more rice and dals, grind it without water and mix in.
super
Adding cabbage will make the adai crispier
Soooper. …I made two times the notes given at last was really helpful thank u for sharing
This proportion is fine. I also tried idli rava in the place of boiled and normal rice , used only idli rava with dal, and added maize ,the adai tasted awesome
Added one tomato .. and did not wait for fermentation..Came out well 🙂
Hi Raks, tried this adai n came out perfect n tasty. May I know you're using mixie for grinding batters like the one in picture. Is it good for dosa / idli batter? May I know which brand model mixie are you using?
This one is Panasonic and pretty good. I am currently using Preethi. I use wet grinder Ultra for idli dosa batter.
Made this today for bfast. My only complaint is nobody would stop eating. I did soak it much longer than specified but still came out crisp and tasty. Thank you
Hi, can we eliminate using parboiled rice as it's not available. Or could you suggest a substitute
Yes you can use raw rice fully
My adais become a bit kadak. Can someone tell me why?
With this much dal, it wont become hard crisp (if you mean kadak means hard?) Did you grind coarsely or smoothly? Please refer my video for more details of the consistency 🙂 Keep for more time aside for fermentation. let me know if you need further clarifications.
We add only tur dal not any other dal,finally cut Onion ,curry leaves,coconut pieces
Yeah I have heard this version through elders, Will try sometime.