Thavalai Adai - Guest Post By Vardhini !

I am so glad to present u all with another Guest post by my dear friend Vardhini of Cooksjoy.. The bonding started via blogging n the first thing which connected us was her first event Dish it out. That's the first event which I participated n sent more recipes with new combos. As a token of appreciation she send me a small surprise gift. My first ever gift which I got for my passion n creativity that really boosted my energy n lifted me to another level .

Got chance to talk with her but our phone conversation never exceeded more than 30 minutes becoz of our lil' ones at home:) We mostly talk about our blogs, pics, weather, and the stress due to it. Yes , though blogging is our passion, recreation sometimes it's d main reason for our stress...sinz we both took it serious n if we have committed to any event or group till we get finished with that we will be thinking n worrying about the same.

Being a working woman she has extra tension n she scarifies her sleep n rest time only for Her space, "CooksJoy". I always wonder how she manage to blog in midst of working, family that too looking after two kids...Great!!! one of my inspiration !
After seeing the effort n hard work she put for each n every single post with detailed step wise pictures I too wanted to try something from my end. That's y now I am trying to post recipes with step wise pic but I know mine is a precised one!

More than her passion & dedication I luv her sincerity. She really took everything serious n wanted it to be best in it! I know how hard it is to move a year old blog with more than 200+ recipes to a well organized Website with its entire content in new & organized one. Yes the move from the Zesty Palatte to Cooksjoy n the work n time she put for it is awesome.

Not only to her space she is so sincere n true to friendship also. Almost my most of friends which I met thru this blogging will come under this category n she is one such sweet person who cares about me n my space.

I can keep on writing about my thought on her n Cooksjoy but will finish it with few words about her wonderful space, "Cooksjoy" I know most of u aware of it, if not visit now n am sure will find worth spending time on her space. Well organized space with recipes from all over World, different cuisines n different categories n above all each n every single recipe is posted with detailed pics n explanations. No one can go wrong with it.

Ok will stop here n present U Vardhini in her own words...

Sangee of Spicy Treats is one of my close friends in the blogging world. We started exchanging emails casually and it has grown to a much deeper relationship now and I am very happy to be doing this guest post for her. She has a lovely blog and her clicks are adorable. She comes up with a lot of interesting recipes that are always a treat and I am glad to have known her through blogging.

Coming to this recipe, I learnt it from my MIL during my recent trip to India. The one thing that I forgot to ask was the reason behind the name. It certainly sounds funny, but the taste is unbeatable. Why didn't I make this earlier is what I kept asking myself as I
savored each bite patiently :). Off to the recipe friends.

My Notes
1. A concave vessel needs to be used for this adai because it has to be thick in the middle.
2. The batter has to be very coarse. Think of rice upma sandwiched between two crispy layers. I will grind my batter much coarser than this the next time.
3. The adai has to be covered and cooked to enable the center part to get cooked.
4. Heat should be on a medium or lower than that to allow the adai to cook slowly.

Ingredients
Idli rice - 1 cup

raw rice - 1/2 cup

urad dal - 3/4 cup (ulutham paruppu)

toor dal - 1/4 cup (thuvaram paruppu)

cumin seeds - 1 tsp (jeeragam)

For Seasoning

oil - 1 tsp + amount needed for cooking the adai

mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp

urad dal - 1 tsp  (ulutham paruppu)

curry leaves - a few

green chillies - 2 chopped

Method

1. Soak the dals and rice separately overnight.

Grind using a blender to a very coarse and thick batter.

Add salt.

Mix well and ferment overnight. The batter needs to be thick.

For seasoning, heat oil and splutter mustard seeds. Add urad dal, curry leaves and green chillies

Add the seasoning and cumin seeds to the fermented batter.

Mix. Remember that the batter has to be very thick unlike regular dosa or adai batter.

Heat a concave vessel (kadai). I used my aapam pan. Pour 1/2 tsp of oil first. Then pour a ladle or 2 of the batter. The heat should be medium or slightly lower than that because the adai needs to cook thoroughly in the center.

You do not need to spread the batter like regular adai or dosa. Just pat it a little here and there to get a circle. 

Pour 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges and close with a lid.

After a few minutes the bottom will be cooked. Can you see the adai browning around the edges. Time to flip over.

Flip over and pour 1/2 tsp of oil around the edges and close with a lid.

When both sides have a nice brown color, the adai is done. Serve with chutney.

Can you see the crispy outer layer and a soft interior? Adai tasted yummy and we had it with a side of coconut chutney and sambar.

Thank U so much Vardhini for this lovely post and the Adai looks too tempting, can't wait to try it. Thanks a lot and its my pleasure having ur recipe Here.