Adai and Kara Chutney

Adai is a filling meal in itself with rice and dhals. Rich in protein. I normally add a fistfull of horse gram (kollu) to it. Many people are unaware of its cooking methods. Will post recipes on Horse Gram in my coming posts. People ignore it and consider it only food for horses. Any body thought how it gets so much energy? Horse gram is very good for cough and breathing problems. Also good for people who would like to lose weight.
Let me go on to the recipe now.
Adai

Ingredients:

Boiled Rice - ½ cup

Raw rice - ¾ cup
Thoor Dhal - ¾ cup

Bengal Gram - ½ cup

Urud Dhal - ¼ cup
Green Gram - ¼ cup
Horse Gram – 1 fistful (optional)
Red chili – 5 to 7(as per your choice)
Curry leaves – 2 springs
Ginger – 1 inch piece

Hing powder ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Medium sized big onion – 2 finely chopped or Small onions - ½ cup finely chopped
Murunga keerai – ½ cup (optional)

Method:
Soak the rice and dhals separately for 4 – 5 hours. Wash well and grind rice, red chilies, and ginger first to a thick batter of rava consistency. Now add the dhals and curry leaves and grind coarsely. The batter should be very thick, like vada batter
Heat 1 tsp of oil in a kadai saute the onions and keerai just for 2 minutes and add to the batter. Add the salt and the hing powder.
Take the dosa tava and grease with cooking oil. Pour one small cup of batter at the center and spread. Add a tsp of oil around. When one side is done turn and cook the other side. Cook in medium flame. When it turns golden brown remove it. Put one tsp of butter on top and serve.

Best combination for adai is Jaggery. The butter and jaggery combination tastes really good.

Other combination would be avial or coconut chutney.

My friend’s mom makes a kara chutney for it. It became a favorite in my family.

Kara Chutney

Ingredients:

Medium sized big onion – 3, chopped
Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 pods
Red Chillies – 3 to 4
Tomato – 1
Tamarind – small gooseberry size

Urad Dhal – 1 tsp
Salt as per taste

For tempering:
Oil 1 tsp
Mustard seeds – ½ tsp
Curry leaves – 1 spring

Method:
Heat a drop of oil in a kadai and roast the Urad dhal until it turns slightly brown and remove. In the same kadai add another tsp of oil and fry the onions till tender, add the other ingredients one by one. Fry until the tomato is mushy and cool for a while. Add salt as per taste and grind in a mixie little coarsely with little water (30 ml would do) and not into a paste. Add the fried urad dhal and just give 2 runs and remove to a serving bowl

Add the tempering and serve.

This goes well with idlies and dosas also.