Ever since I used hulled pearl millet in this dosa for the first time, pearl millet has become a regular addition to my grocery list. I've been wanting to experiment with it a lot more , but for now I have been using it in a variety of dosa recipes. Recently for the first time I tried it in adai. For those you unfamiliar with adai, it is a very nutritious and filling kind of dhal dosa / savory crepe traditionally made with rice and a mixture of lentils.
This version with millet worked out very well. The combination of millet and lentils make this adai healthy and nutritious. It's also very easy to make, just soak, grind and it's ready to make, making this a convenient option for the weekend breakfast or for a weeknight dinner. If you have been wanting to use pearl millet more often, give this flavorful adai / dosa a try and enjoy:)
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Ingredients and method to make Kambu adai/ Bajra dhal dosa
1 cup hulled pearl millet ( Bajra / Kambu )
1/2 cup raw rice ( chawal / arisi )
1/3 cup split mung bean lentil ( mung dhal/ paytham parappu)
1/3 cup split pigeon peas (tur dhal / tuvaram parappu)
1/3 cup split chick pea lentil ( chana dhal/ kadalai parappu)
2 dry red chilies ( or to taste ) ( lal mirch / molagai vathal)
4 Thai or Indian green chilies ( or to taste ) ( hari mirch / pachai molagai)
1/2 tsp chopped ginger ( adrak/ inji)
Salt to taste ( namak / uppu)
1/8 tsp asafoetida powder ( hing / perungayam )
A little extra sesame oil to shallow fry the adai/ dhal dosa.
In a large bowl mix together, millet, rice and lentils. Fill with water, swirl with hand and drain water. Rinse once or twice more, fill with sufficient water and allow to soak for 3 to 4 hours.
Drain the water and grind in batches with green chilies, dry chilies, ginger and water as needed. The grains need only to be of a coarse texture so you do not need to grind it smooth.The batter needs to be on the thicker side, not runny so do not use water too liberally when grinding the batter.
Add salt to taste, asafoetida powder to the batter and mix well. This batter can be used immediately or can be refrigerated for upto 4 days and used as needed to make adai (crepe).
When making adai, heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on medium heat. When hot, pour a little batter on the center of the pan/ tawa and quickly spread it into a thin circle. Pour a few drops of sesame oil around the circumference of the adai. When the lower side is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side until it has a few brownish/golden spots on it.
Add salt to taste, asafoetida powder to the batter and mix well. This batter can be used immediately or can be refrigerated for upto 4 days and used as needed to make adai (crepe).
When making adai, heat a flat pan/ griddle/ tawa on medium heat. When hot, pour a little batter on the center of the pan/ tawa and quickly spread it into a thin circle. Pour a few drops of sesame oil around the circumference of the adai. When the lower side is golden brown, flip over and cook the other side until it has a few brownish/golden spots on it.
Serve hot with chutney of choice, honey or jaggery / Gud/ vellam or with aviyal.
