Adai Or Rotti

If the North has pancakes or rotis made of wheat flour, the Southern equivalent of it is the adai or rotti. Made from a mix of ground rice and a variety of lentils, this mouthwatering dish is protein rich and a great alternative for the experimental vegan, transitioning from a non-veg lifestyle and constantly worrying about, “where do I get my proteins”?

Given its high protein content, the must-add ingredients in adai are the pungent asafetida, ginger and cumin seeds, to enable easy digestion.

Preparation

Unlike in the roti of the North, the ingredients for adai/rotti are washed thoroughly, dried in the sun and then coarsely ground into flour. The dough is prepared by boiling pure water and pouring it over the measured out flour followed by the seasoning that is also poured over it.

Ingredients

Primary ingredients are rice and a variety of lentils (dal) such as chana dal/Bengal gram dal, toor dal/pigeon pea, moong/mung beans, etc. Other essential ingredients are asafetida, cumin seeds/jeera, ginger to enable digestion. And, for seasoning red chilies/oil, ghee, mustard, grated coconut, black gram dal, etc. are typically used.

Roti/Indian Bread (Dasami)

Ingredients:

Cracked Wheat or Wheat flour – ½ padi

Ghee – 1½ palam

Method:

1. This dish is usually made in Mumbai, Pune and Maharashtra.

2. Knead cracked wheat or wheat flour with ghee and milk. Make lemon sized balls out of the dough. Make rotis in a papad making block of wood. Refer to previous Rott recipe to make rotis. Put this in a pan and cook the rotis.

3. This is also kneaded with water instead of milk.