Paruppu Adai

'Eat lentils in the morning' was what my daughter's Chemistry teacher in school advised her whenever she refused to have the ulundhu vadai served for breakfast with idlis. I never understood why that was a hit combination just as how Adai and Avial go hand in hand. I guess it is a balanced meal that way. But I would love to savour each for their own goodness.

Adai is one of my mother's favourite dishes, but not my father's. So she hardly makes them anymore. But as luck favours her; their neighbour is my dad's uncle and adai is a common breakfast or dinner item at least once in a fortnight in their home. Delightfully, my mother receives her share from them.

However, I am not as lucky to have a free adai, so make my own sans avial because my adais are heavily loaded with onions and grated vegetables. I love to eat them with one small piece of jaggery and some butter and my husband has them plain or with ketchup!!

Now to the recipe that will make 6 thick adais:

Wash and soak the following lentils,

Soy beans 2 tablespoons

Horse gram 1 tablespoon

Masoor dhal 1/5 of a cup

Channa dhal 1/5 of a cup

Moong dhal 1/5 of a cup

Urad dhal 1/5 of a cup

Fenugreek 2 teaspoons.

You will also need

Jowar flour 1/5 of a cup

Broken wheat 1/5 of a cup

Alternatively soak 1/2 cup of rice, so you can grind with the dhals. ( I use millet grains/rice/white whole jowar as alternatives depending on availability.)

Adjusting to taste add green and redchillies to the grinding.

Salt to taste.

Oil for the adais.

Use any vegetable chopped to add to the batter. ( I've used in this recipe onions, cabbage and drumstick leaves.)

Once the dhals and rice or any grain has been soaked long enough, put them with the chillies in the blender and grind to a coarse batter that is semolina consistency.

Add salt and leave for fermentation for at least 10 hours.

Prepare required vegetables and add to the batter.

Heat the pan and pour the batter and spread to thick circles.

Add oil to the pan and let the adai brown on the under side. Turn over and cook until done.

Serve with avial, milagai podi, desired chutney or with butter and jaggery.

Lipsmacking heavy breakfast is done.

I would love to send this legume filled dish to MLLA-13 Event hosted currently by Sunshinemom, initiated by Susan,

and to

Padma's Dosa Corner event.