Photo: Gannu03 · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Tamilnadu · Breakfast

Murungai Keerai Adai (முருங்கை கீரை அடை)

Traditional 36. Murungai Keerai Adai recipe

🧺 Ingredients

• ½ cup raw rice
• ¼ cup chana dal
• ¼ cup toor dal (pigeon pea)
• ¼ cup urad dal
• ¼ cup moong dal
• 3–4 dried red chilies
• 1-inch ginger, roughly chopped
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp asafoetida (hing)
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 cup tightly packed fresh moringa leaves (stripped from stems)
• ½ cup fresh coconut, grated
• 1 medium onion, very finely diced
• 2 green chilies, finely minced
• 10 curry leaves, roughly torn

👩‍🍳 How to make Murungai Keerai Adai

1. Rinse rice and all dals together.
2. Soak in 4 cups water for 3 hours (minimum) — the multiple lentils need time to hydrate for proper grinding.
3. For overnight soaking (8 hours), rinse dals and rice separately.
4. Hold each moringa branch at the stem.
5. Run fingers down the branch from base to tip, stripping off only the small leaflets, leaving the woody stem.
6. Rinse leaves in cold water, shake to dry.
7. Drain soaked grains.
8. Grind in batches in a blender with dried red chilies, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, and asafoetida.
9. Add ¼ cup water to start, then more as needed.
10. The final batter should be COARSER than dosa batter — grainy with visible small pieces of lentil.
11. This coarse texture creates the distinctive adai bite.
12. Add 1 tsp salt.
13. Mix.
14. In the ground batter, mix: moringa leaves, grated coconut, finely diced onion, minced green chilies, and torn curry leaves.
15. Stir well.
16. The batter will be thick and chunky — it should not flow freely but should drop from a spoon in thick mounds.
17. Heat tawa on medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
18. Add ½ tsp sesame oil and spread.
19. Adai requires a slightly oiled tawa (more than regular dosa) because the high dal content makes it stick.
20. Pour one ladle of batter onto the tawa.
21. Using the back of the ladle, spread quickly in concentric circles to form a thick round disc about 18–20 cm diameter and 5–7 mm thick.
22. Make a small hole in the center with your finger — this ensures the center cooks through without burning the edges.
23. Drizzle ½ tsp sesame oil around the perimeter and in the center hole.
24. Cook on medium heat for 3 minutes — adai needs longer than dosa because it's thicker.
25. The edges should be lightly charred and easily lifting, underside should be golden-brown with small dark spots.
26. Flip carefully.
27. Cook second side for 2 minutes on medium heat until golden.
28. Both sides should have charred edges — this is correct and adds flavor.
29. Slide onto plate.
30. Serve with jaggery + butter (traditional), avial, or coconut chutney.

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