Thavala Adai – Recipe

 Hi folks,

Today, I want to share with you, the recipe of Thavala adai, which got passed on to me from my mom, who in turn got it from her mom, who in turn... well, you can guess by now!

Thavala adai is a traditional Tamilnadu tiffin/snack which is around for a loooooong time. It is a complete meal with the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins and good fat that in my home it is mostly cooked when a fast need to be broken. It is also a mild food which is devoid of garlic and onions. Simple, yet flavorsome food makes it healthy and delicious. It can be made as an evening snack or as morning breakfast (once you keep the batter ready).

Note: I have never seen this dish in any restaurant in Chennai. Rarely some small time eateries (aka mess) carry it.

Let us dive into how it is made!

Ingredients

For grinding:

• Rice: 2 cups
• Channa dal: 2 cups
• Coconut: 6-8 pieces (as shown in pic)
• Ginger – a small piece
• Asafoetida – 1tsp
• Salt – per taste

For tempering:

• Mustard seeds– 1 tbsp
• Urad dal – 1 tbsp
• Red chillies – 12-15 nos
• Peppercorns – 1 tbsp
• Cumin seeds – 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves – a handful
• Oil – 4 tbsp

Recipe:

• Wash rice and channa dal together thoroughly and soak it in water for 2 hours

• Add coconut, ginger, asafoetida and salt (I have used coarse salt) to a mixer grinder and grind it into a fine paste

• To it, add the soaked channa dal and rice mixture and grind it into a coarse batter

• For tempering, heat oil in a cast iron pan(preferably as the cast iron pan largely contributes to the taste of the dish) and add to it mustard seeds. 
• Once the mustard seeds split, add urad dal, red chillies, peppercorns, cumin seeds, curry leaves and roast it for a minute or two

• Once this is warm, add it to the batter and mix it well (do not add it to the batter when it is hot as it can turn the batter sour)

Now, this dish can be finished in 2 ways – either as an upma or as an adai

Method 1: Upma

• In the same cast iron pan (kadai), add 4-6 tbsps of oil and once hot, add the batter

• Keep stirring for 7-10 minutes continuously and once it is of the consistency as shown in the image, cover it with the lid and cook

• In the next 15-20 minutes, the bottom forms a crispy crusty layer, turn it upside down and remove the crust and continue to cook.

• Rest of the portion remains as is in the pan
• Cover it for another 15-20 minutes to get the crust layer again
• Remove the crusty layer and the remaining cooked part in the pan is the upma
• Crusty layer is had in combination with the upma
• Generous portion of oil is necessary to achieve this crusty layer – trust me it is worth it ;) The crust is the most delicious part of this tiffin. The crispy crust in combination with the soft upma makes is very yummy!

This can be tried in a nonstick pan but from my experience, even though it takes in less oil, the crust isn’t as crispy as we achieve it in a cast iron kadai!

In case you do not have enough time/patience for this elaborate process, you can opt in for the following method

Method 2: Adai

• Heat a nonstick dosa tawa and spread the batter (just like dosa)
• Add a tsp of oil and let the edges become crisp.
• When one side is cooked turn it to the other side and let it cook
• Adai is ready

Serve it with coconut chutney and idly podi for added taste!

What are the traditional recipes that you make at home that is passed on for generations? Let us know in the comments section below!

XOXO

Divagirlnextdoor