Girija Paati’s Adai Dosai Batter Recipe (South Indian Spicy Lentil Dosa)

Adai is Tamilnadu’s famous lentil dosa that is a meal in itself, both nutritionally and from a flavour perspective. It also acts as the perfect base for add on vegetables and flavours, making it one of the most versatile batters to have on hand.

Girija Paati’s Adai recipe is a traditional, age-old, family, South Indian recipe that has been passed on from generation to generation. Made with a mix of lentil and rice, and with both red and green chillies, this is the epitome of all dosa batters and can be adapted to suit all tastes.

Ingredients:

1. Idli Rice / Short-Grained Par-Boiled Rice / White Kar Arisi – 2 cups
2. Thur Dhal – ½ cup
3. Bengal Gram – ¼ cup
4. Urad Dhal – 1 tbsp
5. Dried Red Chillies – 5 (medium spice) / 8 (spicy)
6. Green Chilli – 1 (medium spice) / 2 (spicy)
7. Asafoetida – 1 piece – grape size
8. Curry Leaf – to taste – chop finely
9. Rock Salt – 1 tsp or to taste

We love to serve Adai with Girija Paati’s Idli Milagai Podi (Spicy Idli Chutney Powder) or Nellikai Thokku (Cooked Amla Pickle).

Method:

1. Wash the rice, dhals and green chillies well
2. Soak the rice in drinking water for an hour
3. Soak all the dhals / lentils and green chillies together, in drinking water, for an hour
4. Soak the asafoetida and red chilli together, in drinking water, for an hour
5. Combine the red chilli, asafoetida and red chilli and use the exiting water to grind to a rough paste (don’t overgrind to a fine paste). Remove from the grinder and transfer to a container
6. Grind the dhals, green chillies and rock to a coarse paste (dhals should be partially visible), rougher than the rice mixture. Transfer to a container
7. Combine both the pastes, add the chopped curry leaves and mix well to make the batter
8. Cover and leave the batter outside for about 8 hours. Once it lightly rises, store in the refrigerator
9. To make the adai, use a dosa pan
10. For a thick version, don’t add water to the batter, this has to be patted down on the tawa and then cooked like a dosa, may need a little more oil to roast
11. For a thinner version add some water to the batter and mix to a looser consistency, this can be made poured like dosa batter on the tawa and cooked
12. You can add any of the following to the batter, based on taste before cooking the adai – Onions, Coriander, Moringa Leaves, Green Chillies, Idli Milagai Podi, More Salt

Learn how to cook the Adai by watching our Instagram video here.

Download the printable recipe here.

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