Make sure to check out Socca - Chickpea flatbread, Idli - Indian rice cakes and Neer dosai - rice crepes for more Vegan and gluten free breakfast options. Quinoa is one of the whole grains that I don’t mind including in my diet, but my husband is not a big fan of it. He would not eat quinoa as is, but when I use it hidden in recipes like this Quinoa Brown Rice Adai, he does not mind it at all. I love using lot of lentils in my adai and these days I am going all whole lentils with the skin as it has more fiber. The classic adai dosai recipe uses chana dal, toor dal, moong dal and a little bit of urad dal. I have used whole moong, whole black urad, whole masoor and horsegram dal along with some chana dal. I have started using brown rice in adai a long time back like this Brown rice adai recipe here. This is the first time I am using quinoa in adai and trust me if my husband did not notice any difference, no one could. There was absolutely no change in the taste of the adai dosai and we get all the added nutrition of the quinoa. I was planning to use all quinoa for the recipe, but was still a little hesitant, thinking about my husband. So, I used half quinoa and half brown rice to make the recipe. Next time when I would make adai dosai again, I will be using all quinoa to try it again.
Cooking with whole grains
I love cooking with lentils and have started using whole lentils with skin for the added benefits. The flavor of the whole lentils is something I really like. There is always a stock of all the lentils at home and when it is time to make the adai, it is a festival for me to choose what lentils I would use. I have been using horse gram lentil for the couple of times in the adai and I would highly recommend this recipe to try it if you have not tried it before. I also make this Horse gram lentil subzi which is loved by everyone at home. Quinoa is a love hate relationship at home. There are certain recipes with quinoa that my husband loves, like this Quinoa Chakkara Pongal, Quinoa dosai, and Quinoa Vegetable Cutlet. He does not care for quinoa as a substitute for rice when eating with sambhar or rasam. If you are someone who has a texture issue like my husband does, then I would highly suggest this Quinoa Brown Rice Adai recipe.
More Quinoa recipes
Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 4 to 6 hours of soaking timeCooking time - 30 minutesDifficulty level - Easy
Ingredients needed
Quinoa - ½ cupBrown rice - ½ cup (can use white rice instead)Green gram dal / Whole Moong / Pachai Payaru - ¼ cupWhole Masoor dal (with skin) - ¼ cupWhole Urad dal (with skin) - ¼ cupHorse gram lentil / kollu - ¼ cupChana dal / kadalai paruppu - ¼ cupRed chilies - 6Green chilies - 4Asafetida - ¼ tspCurry leaves -fewSalt - to tasteOnion - 1 cup (finely chopped)Oil - to make the adai / crepes
Step by step process
Measure the quinoa, brown rice and all the lentils into a bowl. Wash it well and soak them together for 4 to 6 hours.
I usually soak them late morning and then grind it to make adai for dinner or soak it at night to make adai for breakfast.
Drain the water and then grind them along with red chilies, green chilies, salt, asafetida and curry leaves. My mother grinds the batter a little coarse for adai whereas I like it smooth. So, depending on your preference you could grind it a little coarse or smooth. Add just enough water to make it like a dosa batter.
Add the chopped onions to the batter and mix well. We can make these without onions as well or can use chopped cabbage or grated carrots instead.
Heat a griddle / cast iron pan and pour a ladle full of batter. Spread it around to make a thin crepe. Again, my mother makes adai thicker and I like them thinner. So spread it based on your preference.
Make a hole in the center and spread oil around the crepes and in the center. The hole in the center helps to cook the adai well.
Cook it on both the sides until golden brown and serve hot.
We love our adai with vellam and vennai / Jaggery and butter. Serve it with Aviyal or any chutney of your choice.
Expert tips
Soak the quinoa, brown rice and lentils in adequate water. The lentils swell up a little when soaked. If using all whole lentils with skin, soak them a little longer. Whole lentils takes time to soften and it is also better for digestion.I have added onions in the quinoa adai dosai batter. We can skip the onions or use chopped cabbage or grated carrots or a mix as well. We can add grated yellow pumpkin / squash as well. Onions though add a very distinct and wonderful flavor. Cast iron pan works the best when making adai. The slow and even cook alows the adai dosai to become crispy.Make a hole in the center of the adai dosai or even a couple more. Add a little drop of oil in all the holes. This helps in even cooking of the adai.
Frequently asked questions
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