This recipe was shared by my good friend Bavani Ganesan. She got this recipe from a keeper at the famous Athangudi tiles factory in the chettinad region. Its a very interesting recipe and the addition of tamarind and fennel seed heightens the flavor of the kara adai. Unlike dosa and Appam , the batter does not need fermentation. Just a couple of hours for the ingredients to soak and once ground with aromatics, the batter is good to go.
Here is the video of how to make Chettinad Kara Adai
Here are the things you can buy online for making Chettinad Kara Adai Lodge Cast Iron Tawa https://amzn.to/3JCKGUk Par Boiled Rice https://amzn.to/3oZtEb8
Get all the ingredients ready.
We will first make a kara (spicy) masala.
Grind all the ingredients listed under kara masala to a slightly coarse paste. Add a tablespoon of water at a time to grind. Set aside.
We will be using a combination of parboiled rice and raw rice for this recipe.
We will need parboiled rice, raw rice, chana dal, toor dal, urad dal and moong dal.
Wash and soak the ingredients in water for a couple of hours. Do not add lots of water. Just enough water to cover the ingredients. Once the ingredients are soaked for a couple of hours, grind them in a mixie with the water used for soaking to a thick paste.
Transfer the ground paste to a bowl. Usually, adai batter is ground to a very slightly coarse paste. Its up to you. If you like smooth texture, then grind it fine. If you want slightly coarse texture, grind it to a coarse paste (very slightly coarse). Add in the kara masala and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
Add in chopped onions and coriander leaves. Mix well. If the batter is very thick, thin it out with little water. The consistency of batter should be slightly thicker than idli batter.
Heat a dosa griddle until hot on medium flame. Ladle half a cup of batter and spread it on the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of oil. Flip the adai once after 30 seconds. Cook the Adai for about half a minute on each side, until golden.
Serve hot.
- Measurements Used – 1 Cup = 250 ml
For Kara (spicy) Masala
- 6 cloves garlic
- 6 dried red chillies
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 goose berry size tamarind
- 2 - 3 tablespoon water
Main Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw rice
- 1/4 cup par boiled rice (I used Idli Rice)
- 1/4 cup chana dal
- 1/4 cup toor dal
- 2 tablespoon urad dal
- 2 tablespoon moong dal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon oil for griddle
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
- 3 Sprigs coriander leaves, chopped fine
- Grind all the ingredients listed under kara masala to a slightly coarse paste. Add a tablespoon of water at a time to grind. Set aside.
- Wash and soak the ingredients in water for a couple of hours. Once the ingredients are soaked for a couple of hours, grind them in a mixie with the water used for soaking to a thick paste.
- Transfer the ground paste to a bowl.
- Add in the kara masala and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
- Add in chopped onions and coriander leaves. Mix well. If the batter is very thick, thin it out with little water. The consistency of batter should be slightly thicker than idli batter.
- Heat a dosa griddle until hot on medium flame. Ladle half a cup of batter and spread it on the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of oil. Flip the adai once after 30 seconds. Cook the Adai for about half a minute on each side, until golden.
- Serve hot with a spicy chutney or avial.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
- Measurements Used – 1 Cup = 250 ml
For Kara (spicy) Masala
- 6 cloves garlic
- 6 dried red chillies
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
- 1 goose berry size tamarind
- 2 - 3 tablespoon water
Main Ingredients
- 1/4 cup raw rice
- 1/4 cup par boiled rice (I used Idli Rice)
- 1/4 cup chana dal
- 1/4 cup toor dal
- 2 tablespoon urad dal
- 2 tablespoon moong dal
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoon oil for griddle
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped fine
- 3 Sprigs coriander leaves, chopped fine
- Grind all the ingredients listed under kara masala to a slightly coarse paste. Add a tablespoon of water at a time to grind. Set aside.
- Wash and soak the ingredients in water for a couple of hours. Once the ingredients are soaked for a couple of hours, grind them in a mixie with the water used for soaking to a thick paste.
- Transfer the ground paste to a bowl.
- Add in the kara masala and salt. Mix well. Set aside.
- Add in chopped onions and coriander leaves. Mix well. If the batter is very thick, thin it out with little water. The consistency of batter should be slightly thicker than idli batter.
- Heat a dosa griddle until hot on medium flame. Ladle half a cup of batter and spread it on the pan. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of oil. Flip the adai once after 30 seconds. Cook the Adai for about half a minute on each side, until golden.
- Serve hot with a spicy chutney or avial.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 3 hours
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
Find it online : https://www.kannammacooks.com/chettinad-kara-adai-recipe/
I have already shared the recipe for Ragi dosa made with Whole Ragi Millet. But many of you have asked me for the recipe of ragi dosa made with ragi flour as sourcing ragi millet abroad is difficult. If you are looking for INSTANT Ragi Dosa, Here is the recipe.
Here is the recipe for ragi dosa made with ragi flour. This is a fermented batter.
Take a cup of Ragi flour and add a cup of water to it in a large bowl. Make a slurry. Mix well. Set aside. Let it sit for a couple of hours.
Soak the urad dal for a couple of hours in water. Grind the drained urad dal with about a cup of water ( You can use the water used for soaking the dal) to a smooth paste. Add it to the Ragi mixture. Add the salt and mix well.
Cover the bowl and allow it to ferment in a warm place for 6-8 hours. The batter would have doubled in volume. Mine almost spilled out of the bowl when I opened. The batter will be very thick at this stage. We need a very watery batter for making dosas. Add about a cup of water to dilute the mixture to pouring consistency. We do not add water before as the fermentation will get delayed if too much water is added to the batter.
Heat a dosa pan / griddle until hot for making Ragi Dosa. Let the flame be at medium. Pour a ladle of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle spread batter into a round. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of oil onto the pan. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30 seconds until the sides are brown. Flip carefully with a thin metal spatula, and cook Ragi Dosa until browned. Up-to 30 seconds more. Transfer Ragi Dosa to a plate. Continue with the remaining Ragi Dosa batter.
Serve Ragi Dosa warm, with chutney.
- 1/3 Cup Unpolished Whole White Urad Dal
- 1 Cup Ragi Flour
- 1 Teaspoon Salt
- Water to grind
- Oil for dosa griddle
- Take a cup of Ragi flour and add a cup of water to it in a large bowl. Make a slurry. Mix well. Set aside. Let it sit for a couple of hours.
- Soak the Unpolished whole white urad dal for a couple of hours in water. Grind the drained urad dal with about a cup of water ( You can use the water used for soaking the dal) to a smooth paste. Add it to the Ragi mixture. Add the salt and mix well.
- Cover the bowl and allow it to ferment in a warm place for 6-8 hours. The batter would have doubled in volume. Mine almost spilled out of the bowl when I opened. The batter will be very thick at this stage. We need a very watery batter for making dosas. Add about a cup of water to dilute the mixture to pouring consistency. We do not add water before as the fermentation will get delayed if too much water is added to the batter.
- Heat a dosa pan / griddle until hot for making Ragi Dosa. Let the flame be at medium. Pour a ladle of batter onto the griddle. Using the back of the ladle spread batter into a round. Sprinkle 1/8 teaspoon of oil onto the pan. Cover with a lid and let it cook for 30 seconds until the sides are brown. Flip carefully with a thin metal spatula, and cook Ragi Dosa until browned. Up-to 30 seconds more. Transfer Ragi Dosa to a plate. Continue with the remaining Ragi Dosa batter.
- Serve Ragi Dosa warm, with chutney.
- Author: Kannamma - Suguna Vinodh
- Prep Time: 12 hours
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Category: Breakfast
- Cuisine: Tamilnadu
