Looking for a breakfast that is both healthy and delicious? Oats Adai, a nutritious twist on the classic South Indian lentil pancake, is the perfect answer. Packed with protein and fibre, it's a wonderfully filling and flavourful way to start your day.
A Healthy Twist on a Classic
Adai is a traditional protein-packed crepe from Tamil Nadu, made from a batter of mixed lentils and rice. This version swaps out most or all of the rice for oats, making it a lighter, fibre-rich alternative without sacrificing the savoury flavour. Unlike many dosa batters, adai batter doesn't require fermentation, so you can make these pancakes almost immediately after grinding. The result is a dish that's not only good for you, thanks to the heart-healthy benefits of oats, but also incredibly convenient. Oats are a great source of complex carbohydrates, fibre, vitamins, and minerals, making this a balanced and satisfying meal.
Gather Your Ingredients
The foundation of a great Oats Adai is the blend of dals (lentils) and oats. While recipes vary, a common and flavourful combination creates a wonderful texture and taste. For this recipe, you will need quick-cooking or rolled oats, along with a mix of chana dal, toor dal, and urad dal. Some recipes also include a small amount of moong dal. For the aromatics and spices that give adai its characteristic flavour, you'll need dried red chillies, ginger, fennel seeds (saunf), asafoetida (hing), and salt. To enhance the texture and flavour, finely chopped onion and fresh coriander leaves are often mixed into the batter just before cooking.
Step-by-Step: Preparing the Batter
The first step is to soak the lentils. Wash your chana dal, toor dal, and urad dal thoroughly and soak them in water for at least two to three hours. If you are using whole rolled oats, you can soak them separately for about an hour before grinding. If you're using quick oats or oat flour, you can add them directly to the ground lentil batter later. After soaking, drain the water from the dals. In a blender, combine the soaked dals, dried red chillies, ginger, and fennel seeds. Grind them into a slightly coarse paste, adding a little water as needed to get the blender moving. The batter should be thick, not runny. Transfer the ground paste to a bowl. Now, stir in your oats (or oat flour), finely chopped onions, coriander leaves, asafoetida, and salt. Mix everything well until you have a uniform batter.
Cooking the Perfect Oats Adai
To cook the adai, heat a flat pan or tawa over medium heat. Once it's hot, you can lightly grease it with oil. Pour a ladleful of the batter onto the centre of the pan and spread it in a circular motion to form a pancake. You can make it as thick or thin as you like, though traditional adai is often slightly thicker than a regular dosa. Drizzle a little oil or ghee around the edges and, if you like, make a small hole in the centre and add a drop of oil there to help it cook evenly. Let it cook for a couple of minutes until the underside is golden brown and the edges start to lift from the pan. Flip the adai and cook the other side for another minute or two until it's cooked through. Serve it hot off the tawa.
The Perfect Pairing: Simple Onion Chutney
While Oats Adai is delicious on its own or with a simple piece of jaggery, a spicy chutney takes it to the next level. A simple onion chutney is an excellent accompaniment. To make it, heat a little oil in a pan and sauté a handful of broken dried red chillies. Add one large chopped onion or a cup of shallots and cook until they turn soft and translucent. Add a small piece of tamarind paste and a pinch of salt. Let the mixture cool completely, then grind it into a smooth paste with a little water. For a final touch, you can prepare a tadka by heating a teaspoon of oil, spluttering mustard seeds and urad dal, and adding a few curry leaves. Pour this tempering over the chutney and mix well. Coconut chutney and garlic chutney also pair wonderfully.
