Red Rice Millet Adai

Red Rice and Millets are soaked and coarsely ground with ginger, Garlic pods and salt. It is made on a pan like a thick, crisp Dosa; and is served hot with Chutney and Sambar. This is the Tamil Nadu Special Adai.

The Adai looks like a Dosa but the two are quite different from one another, especially in the method of preparation. The Adai is thick. The batter is grainy like the Idli batter. Once it is roasted it is very crisp. It tastes very good when eaten hot.

The Adai can be prepared in many different ways, by making slight changes in the ingredients. Each type of Adai has its own unique taste. How ever that may be, this is a truly Protein-rich recipe. The Adai is a local speciality of the Tamil Nadu regions. You will see Adais being sold on road-side Bandis (vending carts). The other special feature of the Adai is that the batter is not allowed to get fermented. The Dal is soaked, ground and the Adai is made immediately without allowing for fermentation.

You may also like this recipe Multi- grain Adai with spicy Powder

Do look at the tips given below to know what variety you can bring to your Red rice-Millet Adai. The Tips will also give you the idea of how to get the perfect Adai.

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Tips

Batter:

• The Adai batter should be definitely thick and coarse. It should not be runny or smooth like the Dosa batter. It is the coarse, grainy consistency of the batter that gives crispness to the Adai.

Can the Batter be stored?

• The Adai batter contains a lot of fiber. So it will get fermented on the very second day, even if you store the batter in the fridge. Therefore, it is better to take small quantities of raw materials at one time, so that you can finish the day’s requirements and start with fresh material the next time.

• If at all any batter gets to be left over, you can make Punugulu (Vada with a hole) and serve hot.

Options for making Adai:

• I have used Red Rice, Red Gram (Tur Dal), and Korralu (Foxtail Millets) for my batter for Adai. You can use Brown Rice in instead of Red Rice; Cowpea/ Red Lobiya in place of Red Gram; and also add Ragi (Finger Millet) or any other Millet according to your preference and access.

• Whatever options you are using, do remember that any option you use should be together equal to the measure of rice.

Soaking the grains:

• Usually it is sufficient to soak the Dals and Millets etc., just for 4-5 hours. The Dals will remain slightly coarse like Semolina, and the Adai will come out crisp. If you soak the Dals overnight (like I did), then you must remember to grind the batter up to a coarse consistency.