If you love dosas, you’ve got to try this healthy and nutritious Adai recipe.
Adai is actually nothing but an Indian crepe dish made using broken wheat and some lentils and has the perfect delicious and crispy texture you’d find in a regular dosa.
Not only is it protein rich and nutrient dense, but it is also a great diabetic-friendly dish.
Making it is pretty easy too. Here’s all you need to know about it.
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Ingredients For the Recipe
Ready to make this recipe? Here’s what you will need to make the Adai from scratch.
- Broken wheat: ¼ cup
- Green moong: ¼ cup
- Red masoor/ red lentil: ¼ cup
- Yellow moong dal: 2 tbsp
- Fenugreek seeds: ½ tsp
- Onions (finely chopped): ¼ cup
- Asafoetida: A pinch
- Ginger garlic paste: ½ tbsp
- Green chilies (finely chopped): 1 tbsp
- Coriander leaves (paste): 2 tbsp
- Red chili powder: 1.5 tsp
- Garam masala powder: 1 tsp
- Salt: ½ tablespoon or as per taste
- Water: As required
- Oil: As required
How to Make the Adai | A Diabetic Friendly Snack
Once you have all your ingredients ready, here is what you need to do to make the Adai.
Soak the broken wheat, green moong, red masoor, yellow moong dal, and fenugreek seeds in water for at least 2 hours.
Next, drain the water and blend the soaked lentils into a smooth paste. Add water as required. The outcome should be a smooth paste.
Transfer the blended content into a mixing bowl. Add the onions, asafoetida, ginger garlic paste, green chilies, coriander paste, red chili powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Give it a good mix.
Next, add water so as to turn the mixture into a flowy consistency.
Heat a tawa or a flat pan. Grease it with a little bit of oil.
Take a large scoop of the mixture and carefully spread it in circular motion on the tawa.
Sprinkle little oil on top and cook both sides until the crepe turns golden brown.
Serve with chutney of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
I added some ginger-garlic paste and green chilies to add spice and flavor to the Adai mixture. You can choose to skip that and sprinkle the Adai with some powdered spices of your choice.
To give it an Indian touch, a sprinkle of curry masala powder can liven up the flavors. 
You can store the leftover Adai batter in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 days.
Just remember to use a clean, airtight container to do it and get the Adai batter out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before you start to use it. 
Tips & Tricks to Make the Adai | A Diabetic Friendly Snack
While making the Adai is super easy, you might want to take note of these little tips and tricks as well.
- The key to getting the Adai right is to adjust its consistency. Don’t add too much water in the beginning- just keep adding a little until you get the right consistency of the mixture.
- If you like that coarse, chunky texture, you can keep the batter a bit coarse while grinding it.
- For best results, use a non-stick tawa or frying pan to make the Adai. This will help keep it from sticking to the pan.
- You can also choose to use a good quality cast iron skillet if you’re looking to keep it healthier.
- Cook the Adai on low heat to ensure that it is nice and crispy and cooked all the way through.
- Another great idea is to spread the batter slightly thicker than a dosa, and then top it with your choice of toppings- just like what you would do with an uttapam.
- The fenugreek seeds help speed up the process of fermentation of the batter. If you don’t have it, you can add the stem of a couple of green chilies or a spoonful of yogurt into the mixture.
- To make the Adai more crispy, you can add an equal amount of soaked rice into the batter while you’re grinding it.
- If you want the batter to have a slightly reddish tinge, you can swap the green chillies that the recipe calls for, and use dried red chillies instead.
Serving Ideas & Suggestions
The Adai is super versatile and you can serve it just like you would your regular dosa.
Pair it with some chutneys of your choice or stuff it with some sliced veggies to make it healthier- it all depends on your personal preference.
I like to serve it with some homemade sambar and some spring onion chutney.
If you enjoyed this dosa recipe and are inspired to try some more South Indian recipes, here are a few handpicked ones worth checking out.
📖 Recipe
Adai
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Broken Wheat
- ¼ cup Green Moong
- ¼ cup Red Masoor, (red lentil)
- 2 tablespoon Yellow Moong Dal
- ½ teaspoon Fenugreek Seeds
- ¼ cup Onions , (finely chopped)
- 1 pinch Asafoetida
- ½ tablespoon Ginger Garlic Paste
- 1 tablespoon Green Chilies , (finely chopped)
- 2 tablespoon Coriander Leaves , (paste)
- 1.5 tablespoon Red Chili Powder
- 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
- ½ tablespoon Salt
- 1 glass Water
- 1 cup Oil
Instructions
- Soak the broken wheat, green moong, red masoor, yellow moong dal, and fenugreek seeds in water for atleast 2 hours.
- Next, drain the water and blend the soaked lentils into a smooth paste. Add water as required. The outcome should be a smooth paste.
- Transfer the blended content into a mixing bowl. Add the onions, asafoetida, ginger garlic paste, green chilies, coriander paste, red chili powder, garam masala powder, and salt. Give it a good mix.
- Next, add water so as to turn the mixture into a flowy consistency.
- Heat a tawa or a flat pan. Grease it with a little bit of oil.
- Take a large scoop of the mixture and carefully spread it in circular motion on the tawa.
- Sprinkle little oil on top and cook both sides until the crepe turns golden brown.
- Serve with chutney of your choice.
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