Oats Adai
- 15 min prep
- 160 min
- Pan-fry
- Serves 3
- 415 kcal
- 18 g protein
A thick, crisp-edged adai made with four dals and oats instead of rice. Soak for two hours, grind coarse, and cook slowly until the edges crackle.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (90 g) rolled oats
- ¼ cup (50 g) toor dal
- ¼ cup (50 g) chana dal
- ¼ cup (50 g) split yellow moong dal
- 2 tbsp (25 g) urad dal
- 3 dry red chillies, broken
- 1 inch (8 g) ginger, roughly chopped
- ½ tsp fennel seeds (saunf)
- About 1 cup (240 ml) water, for grinding
- 1 medium onion (100 g), finely chopped
- 10–12 curry leaves, chopped
- 2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
- Salt, to taste (about 1 tsp)
- About 2 tbsp (30 ml) oil, for cooking
Method
- 1Rinse the four dals together two or three times. Soak them with the red chillies in plenty of water for 2 hours.
- 2Drain the dals well. Put them in a mixer jar with the oats, ginger, fennel and salt. Add about ¾ cup water and grind to a coarse, slightly grainy batter, thicker than dosa batter. Add more water only a spoon at a time.
- 3Pour the batter into a bowl and stir in the onion, curry leaves and coriander. It should spread with a ladle but not run on its own; leave it for 5 minutes and loosen with a little water if the oats have thickened it too much.
- 4Heat a cast-iron tawa on medium until a sprinkle of water sizzles. Pour a ladle of batter in the centre and spread it in circles into a thick round, about the thickness of an uttapam. Make a small hole in the middle with the ladle tip.
- 5Drizzle 1 tsp oil around the edge and a few drops into the hole. Cook on low-medium for 3–4 minutes until the base is deep golden and the top looks dry.
- 6Flip and cook the second side for 2–3 minutes, pressing lightly with the spatula, until spotted brown and crisp at the edges. Repeat with the rest of the batter.
Notes from the Department
- Coarse is the point. Smooth adai batter gives a floppy, dosa-like result.
- Adai needs patience and a medium-low flame. Rushing it leaves the inside pasty.
- The hole in the middle is not decoration; it lets heat and oil reach the thickest part.
- The batter keeps in the fridge for 2 days, though the onion is best added fresh.
Nutrition per serving
- Energy
- 415 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbohydrate
- 60 g
- Fat
- 12 g
- Fibre
- 14 g
- Sugars
- 4.7 g
Why this works
Adai is the hearty, lentil-heavy relative of dosa from Tamil Nadu. Usually it is rice plus three or four dals, ground coarse and cooked thick. Here oats take the place of rice. They do the same job of binding the dals into a batter that holds together, they soften without a separate soak, and they bring their own mild, toasty flavour. Four dals together give a deep, savoury taste and plenty of plant protein.
Red chillies soaked with the dals blend smoothly into the batter, so the heat is even rather than in sharp bits. Fennel and ginger keep the whole thing from tasting heavy. The Department of Lentils recognises all four dals and declines to choose a favourite.
Swaps
Quick oats work equally well. Masoor dal can replace moong. Add 2 tbsp grated coconut while grinding for a richer adai, or stir in shredded drumstick leaves, spinach or cabbage at the end. A pinch of hing is traditional; leave it out if you need the adai gluten-free, and buy oats labelled certified gluten-free. Garlic lovers can grind in two cloves.
Serving and storage
The classic pairing is avial or a lump of jaggery with white butter. Coconut chutney, tomato chutney or molagapodi with oil all work well, and so does a bowl of curd.
Cooked adai keep for a day in the fridge. Reheat on a dry tawa on low heat for a minute each side so the edges crisp up again.
Questions people ask
- Do I need to soak oats for adai?
- No. Only the dals need soaking. The oats go into the grinder dry and soften as the batter sits.
- Does adai batter need to ferment?
- No. Adai is cooked as soon as it is ground, which makes it a good weekday breakfast if you put the dals in water early.
- Can I soak the dals overnight?
- Yes. Overnight soaking in the fridge works and speeds up grinding. Drain well so the batter does not turn watery.
- Why does my adai break when I flip it?
- Usually the first side is not cooked enough or the pan is too cool. Wait until the edges lift and the top looks dry before turning it.
Inspired by Sailu's Kitchen. Method, notes and photograph by the Ministry of Oats.
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