Spicy Quinoa & Red Pumpkin Adai | Lentil Dosa

Spicy Quinoa & Red Pumpkin Adai is a nutritious South Indian breakfast/snack made with lentils. This is a protein rich crepe that requires no rice and no fermentation.

I have been eating Adai since I was a child. Being bought up in a typical South Indian household, we did all the Tam Brahm things expected from us. For those who don’t know what a Tam Brahm means, it’s a short for Tamil Brahmin. Tamil is our mother tongue and we belong to the Brahmin caste which is the highest caste in Hinduism. Let me make it clear here that I do not believe in the caste system. Anyways, some typical things we did at home was – waking up to Vishnu Sahasranamam ( a religious hymn) in full blast (courtesy dad) every single day, our meals on most days would be either Sambhar, Rasam and/or Kootu, I learnt Bharatnatyam and my brother learnt to play the violin because the girls of the house were expected to learn Bharatnatyam (Indian classical dance) and/or Carnatic music and the boys of the house were made to learn some musical instrument, if you cut us, you will find filter coffee running inside more than blood, no matter where we travel, we always want to finish off a meal with some curd rice and Sunday evenings are reserved for Adai! Read on to know what an Adai means. 

Adai is a cousin of Dosa. Normally made with mixed lentils and rice, these crepes are thicker than a dosa. It’s a high protein snack and can be made crispy or soft. Unlike dosa, this doesn’t require fermentation of batter, is more nourishing and eating just one can keep you full for a long time. My MIL was telling me the other day that there are some who ferment this batter for 7-8 hours and then prepare Adai dosa with it. That also tastes good. I must try that sometime. My mom would prepare adai for dinner every Sunday. The leftover batter would come handy for breakfast next day. She would even pack us some in our lunch boxes. While my parents would eat it with ghee and jaggery, I never liked that combo. For me it has always been Molagapudi that I think pairs best with Adai. When I asked my FIL if he knew about the origin of Adai, he had something interesting to share with me. It seems, the roots of Adai can be traced back to 1^st century AD in Tamil Nadu. 

In the book ‘The story of our Food’ there is a reference of Adai in Silappadikaram, where vendors selling crisp Adai have been described. This proves that Adai has always been part of rich Indian culinary tradition. It also means that Adai has been a popular street food since ages but the sad part is, it has not got its due credit. I feel that this super delicious snack is only being made in homes today and it needs to put on a pedestal as it is one power packed snack that has the potential of becoming a rage. Especially in the west, where lentils have suddenly gained so much momentum in the vegan industry, this recipe is for keeps! Just one multigrain adai can keep you full for a long time because its complex structure takes longer to digest.  I have given this simple adai recipe a makover to make it even more wholesome and toothsome. Here are a couple of things I did different in this recipe – Prepared the batter without rice, Added quinoa instead, I added red pumpkin puree to the adai batter and I add some new spices in the batter to make it more appetizing. Without much ado, let me walk you through the recipe in detail. 

The recipe is divided in 3 steps. First we need to wash and soak lentils like tur dal, chana dal and moong dal together in a bowl. Repeat the process with bulgur wheat and quinoa. Soak all (in separate bowls) for 5-6 hours. Meanwhile, peel and chop red pumpkin or parangikai (for my Tamil speaking readers). Heat oil in a pan and saute the red pumpkin along with dried red chillies for 15-20 minutes or till the pumpkin is fully cooked and becomes soft. Take it off the pan and let it cool down completely before adding it to the blender. Add grated coconut and little water to it and blitz to make a smooth puree. Keep this aside for now. Drain the water from the lentils, quinoa and bulgur wheat. In the same blender, add the quinoa, fennel seeds, garlic, cumin seeds and rock salt. Grind it to a smooth puree consistency. Take it out in a mixing bowl. Next add the bulgur wheat and chilly powder to the blender and grind it to a smooth paste. Add this to the bowl as well. Next add the mixed lentils to the blender and grind it to a smooth puree. Transfer this to the bowl as well. Then add the red pumpkin puree to the bowl and mix it all together. Add Add chopped cilantro and then salt as per your taste. 

The batter is now ready. It should be thick and pouring consistency. You can use the batter right away. Heat a gridle,  then pour a ladle full of batter and spread it like a pancake/dosa. Apply oil/ghee to all sides and let it cook on medium flame for 2-3 minutes. Flip it and cook the other side the same way. Prepare as many adai as you want and refrigerate the leftover batter for next time. Serve with any chutney, avial, butter or molagapudi! If you do try this recipe, please do share it with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. This will keep me motivated to develop more interesting recipes. Click a pic and post it with the hashtag #cookiliciousveg . I would love to see your pictures on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter!

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Kale Adai | Kale & Lentil Savory Pancakes is another variation you can try! If I got you intrigued about South Indian food, here are some interesting recipes for you to check out – South Indian Pearl Onion Sambhar, South Indian Spinach & Lentils Keerai | Kootu | Curry, South Indian Medu Wada | Lentil Fritters, Sesame Seed Powder/Ellu Pudi, Vegan South Indian Lemon & Chickpea Rice, South Indian Spicy Potato Fry Curry and South Indian Style Tomato Rice.