This GREEN ADAI DOSA with BROWN RICE and QUINOA is a multi-lentil, no-ferment savory Indian pancake/crepe with nutritious spinach leaves. Make it thick or thin and enjoy it for breakfast, lunch or even dinner with a side of chutney and/or sambar.

Sharing here my version of adai with all the helpful notes and options you have before making a delicious south Indian type adai!

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Indians, especially south Indians almost always start their day with a plate of hot dosas (savory lentil-rice crepes), idlis (savory steamed rice-lentil cakes) or maybe some piping hot, ghee laden upma/savory semolina pudding chockfull of veggies along with their favorite “kapi” or coffee for breakfast!

We rarely are a cereal or toast kinda people although nowadays with hectic schedules, some do indulge in these, what with the variety of nutritious breakfast cereals and breads available all over as well as exposure to global cuisine via social media and internet!

People from here, especially the ones from Tamil Nadu or Karnataka are known for their myriad of dosas and idlis be it thin dosa like rava dosa or thick one like an uttapam or even an Instant idli like Rava Idli or the regular fermented rice-lentil idli.

NOW, WHAT IS ADAI DOSA?

Most dosas, sometime called dosais or even dose (pronounced like "dhosey") like we call it in Karnataka (southern India) have a blend of rice and lentils in them and need a bit of fermentation before they can be spread on a hot griddle to make these delicious savory version of crepes albeit super crispy!

But adais (which again originate from the southern Indian state of Tamilnadu) are multi-lentil thick pancakes which need no fermentation at all. All you need to do is soak a bunch of lentils with rice for a few hours, blend and make adai dosas or as they are called adais.

Traditional adais have some dry red chilies to spice up the dosa which impart that red color or you could use green chilies/jalapenos instead too but if you are not a big fan of spicy heat, feel free to omit it.

These are just soaked and blended to a thick paste before making hot and delicious adai dosais!

Also, adai batter is so versatile; you can make the traditional thick adais, or super thin too like a crepe by diluting the batter a bit! We are more in love with the crispy thin kind of dosas, so here I am sharing the thinner crepe like adai dosa.

Optional ingredients are ginger and cumin seeds which are the other aromatics and spice we love to flavor adai with. Either chop or grate ginger and add along with cumin seeds to the batter or blend them in.

Any garlic lovers?? Feel free to blend that in too if you like.

You can check out my basic adai recipe here.

MAIN INGREDIENTS NEEDED TO MAKE THIS GREEN ADAI DOSA :

Like I mentioned, as for a traditional adai, you need a bunch of lentils:

Urad dal or split white lentils or black gram dal; here you can use the split white one or the ones you get whole deskinned too. Whole urad with skin works good too!

Chana dal or split Bengal gram dal

Whole green mung beans – traditionally, we use split yellow mung bean dal but to pump in more nutrition in my adai, I love to use my favorite whole green mung beans! They do make adais a tad green which I love!

Other ingredients needed are:

Rice – this is a must to add structure to the adai and give it that crispy edge. I love using brown rice in my dosas sometimes, so here too, it is brown rice. You could substitute with white rice instead and any that you have; does not affect the texture of dosa.

Quinoa – now this is a favorite grain I love to add in my pulaos, desserts and dosas like in my Quinoa Payasam! So feel free to stir in some here too but again, if you do not have them, you can leave it out.

Spinach leaves - this is again optional, but I am so in love with the green color of the batter/dosa it’s addition creates not to mention the added hidden nutrition, I do sometimes sneak in spinach leaves in my batter while blending like I have here. Why, you can easily slip in some fresh salad greens in these dosas and your family would never know they are eating them! Sneaky, isn't it?

Then lastly of course some oil and/or ghee (avoid ghee if vegan) for roasting the adai dosa and salt to taste.

Just wash and soak the ingredients for a few hours except spinach and blend along with spinach to a smooth paste.

Keep the batter thick and make traditional thicker adais or dilute a bit and spread thin to make crispy or soft super thin dosas the way my husband loves! Serve piping hot with some chutney or sambar.

SERVING SUGGESTIONS:

Made thick or thin, these adai dosas are always enjoyed dipped in a fresh homemade coconut chutney! Our favorites are Hing Coconut Chutney , Coconut Chutney with Onions, or Peanut Coconut Chutney and/or a delicious lentil sambar or even a quick and instant No- Dal Tomato Sambar!

This time, we thoroughly savored this green dosa with our favorite Spicy Onion Chutney. I have no idea how many times I have made this but my kids always, always insist on only this chutney to dip their idlis or dosas in!

If you do not have those, just use a homemade or store bought dry lentil chutney powder like Molaga Podi or even a homemade or store bought Indian pickle!

Make a thick and slightly coarse batter to make thick adais or make it smooth and diluted a tad to enjoy thin crepe like dosas!

Any way you make it, you are going to enjoy this super easy, super nutritious Green Adai Dosa with Brown Rice, Quinoa and Spinach again and again like I have been in my house!

UPDATED JUNE 17, 2021:

Adai being my favorite dosai and also so nutritious, no ferment version of dosais and easy to make not to mention delicious, I made green adai again using whole black gram dal with the skin!

Of course, rest of the ingredients are the same; whole green moong beans, quinoa, dals, brown rice etc. with a handful of green spinach leaves which were losing their freshness.

Enjoy Foodies and Happy Eating!

If you do happen to try this, please do share your thoughts and comments in the box below (rating it would be wonderful!), on my Facebook page or even on Instagram using @curryandvanilla16.

A big fan of dosas? Then must check out these too:

Now, let's see how to make this beautiful Green Adai Dosa :

Green Adai Dosa with Brown Rice and Quinoa

This nutritious and protein rich dosa is a multi-lentil savory Indian pancake/crepe with nutritious greens. Make it thick or thin and enjoy it for breakfast, lunch or even dinner with a side of chutney and/or sambar.

Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Keyword dosa, lentils, savory crepes, vegetarian

Ingredients

½ cup urad dal/split deskinned black gram lentils
½ cup whole mung beans
½ cup chana dal/split bengal gram dal
½ cup quinoa
¾ to 1 cup brown rice
1 to 2 cups baby spinach leaves or whole chopped
Salt to taste
Oil/ghee for roasting

Instructions

PREPPING INGREDIENTS:

Wash lentils, mung beans, rice and quinoa thoroughly in plenty of water, rubbing with your fingers until the water runs clear.
This step is especially necessary to remove the outer covering of quinoa called “saponin” which may turn the batter bitter. Did you know that animals, birds and other creatures do not eat unrinsed quinoa for the same reason?
Add plenty of water and soak overnight or for at least 3 to 4 hours.
Wash and drain spinach leaves if unwashed. If the leaves are large, chop them roughly for easy blending.

TO MAKE THE ADAI BATTER:

Transfer the washed, soaked and drained mixture in batches to a blender jar and adding a bit of water (to run the blender and form a thickish batter), blend to a smooth paste.
You can add the spinach leaves in one of those batches.
Transfer the batter to a bowl and mix well.
Add salt to taste and it is ready to make dosas!

TO MAKE DOSAS:

Heat a cast iron griddle; the best choice (or even a non-stick pan) until hot.
Smear some oil over it and rub with a paper towel.
Reduce the heat to medium, sprinkle some water over the hot griddle to cool it slightly (as a hot pan will lump up the batter while spreading) and then pour a ladle of batter on the pan.
Immediately, spread it on the pan using circular motion, starting from the center. Make it as thick as you want or as thin as you can or want. This process should be done quickly.
Once spread, drizzle some oil over it, cover with a lid and cook for a minute or so. Keep an eye as the bottom could burn in no time!
As soon as the top of the adai is dry, using a flat ladle or pancake turner, flip to cook the other side.
When both the sides are cooked and light brown, remove and serve hot!
These crepes or dosas can be made soft (by cooking for a shorter time until you see that the batter is cooked) or super crispy by cooking on a lower heat for a longer time on each side until you get the crispiness you want.
Make as many dosas as you want and store the rest of the batter in the fridge to make another day. Use the batter within 2 to 3 days.
Now, wasn’t that easy? Enjoy these delicious, crispy or soft but nutritious multi-lentil, brown rice and quinoa dosa with the goodness of spinach dipped in some coconut chutney, onion chutney, Indian pickles or with a side of sambar and/or dry chutney powder which we call “Molaga Podi” or Chili Powder!
We enjoyed these delicious green dosas with a side of our favorite spicy and super tasty “ONION CHUTNEY”
Enjoy Foodies and Happy Cooking!

Recipe Notes

You can make these adais even without spinach leaves. Feel free to stir in any of your favorite greens as long as they are not bitter raw; I have even blended in salad greens in my adai and regular dosa batter to sneak in some greens for my family!
For a flavor variation, feel free to add some jeera/cumin seeds (in the batter or while blending) or even some dry red chilies or green chilies/jalapenos for a kick of heat.
Love ginger, then a small piece of ginger when blending the batter should do.
Adore the crunch of onions or even some soft tomatoes? Then sprinkle some finely chopped onions and/or tomatoes over a slightly thickishly spread dosa on the pan.
These dosas can be cooked on both sides or just on one side too as long as you do not see any wet batter on top.
Store leftover batter in the refrigerator and use within a couple of days.