Adai Avial

"Adai" (Pan fried Lentil cakes)  is a healthy snack that is nutritious and filling. It is made with different kinds of lentils and not fried, making it a great choice for a wholesome breakfast or a light dinner.
"Avial" (Vegetable stew in coconut-cumin gravy) is the most voted accompaniment for Adai and complements the high-protein main dish with vitamins from vegetables.

Adai:

 Ingredients:

Boiled rice/Idli rice  - 1 cup

Toor dal (pigeon peas) -  ½  cup

Channa dal (Bengal gram) – ¼  cup

Urad  dal – ¼  cup

Moong dal  - ¼  cup

Salt - 2 tsp

Red chillies - 6 to 8

Onion (cut into pieces) – 1 ½  cups

Asafoetida  - 1 tsp

Curry leaves/coriander leaves – for garnishing

Oil  - as per requirement

Method of preparation:

 1) Soak boiled rice and pulses together in water for 1 hour.

2) Grind rice, dal, and red chillies and salt to a coarse batter.

3) Add onion pieces, curry leaves, coriander leaves and asafoetida powder.

4) Take a shallow pan or dosa tawa and heat it.

5) Take one ladle of batter and spread it on the pan in a nice, round shape (just like a dosa). Since the batter is thick, do not try to spread it out thin, the Adais will be smaller and thicker than dosas (around 6-7 cm in diameter).

6) Sprinkle oil on and around the batter to allow it to roast and get a golden brown color. 

Tip: If you have a big pan/tawa, 3 Adais can be  made simultaneously at the same time. 

The Adais are now ready, but save them up until the “Avial” is done.

Avial:

Ingredients:

Cut vegetables  - each 1 cup

[Carrot, beans, drumstick, flat beans – cut into 1 inch long pieces; Yellow pumpkin, white pumpkin, Bangalore kathirikai (coyote squash), potato, raw banana – cut into medium cubes]

Salt - 1 1/2 spoons

Coconut -  1 (If using grated coconut, use 2 cups)

Jeera (cumin seeds) - 2 tsp

Green chilies – 6 to 8

Coconut oil -  4 tsp

Curd - 4 to 6 tsp

Curry leaves and coriander leaves – for garnishing

Method of preparation:

1) Wash the vegetables 

2) Steam yellow pumpkin separately and keep aside.

3) Steam all the other vegetables in a pressure cooker (allow only 2 whistles so that it is not overcooked) with salt . Use a little water as needed in the cooker.

4) Grind coconut, cumin seeds, green chillies to a fine paste 

5) After the steam is released from the cooked vegetables, add cooked yellow pumpkin, add the finely ground paste from step (4). Mix well. Add the curd to the cooker too and stir well.

6) Heat the mixture in the for 5 minutes without lid

7) Switch off the heat, add curry leaves, coriander leaves and 2 spoons of coconut oil  and mix in.

8) If the avial is watery, mix 2 tsp of besan (gram flour) in water, and add this. This will help thicken the gravy.

Avial is now ready to go with the Adai. It can also be served with steaming white rice.