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    Home » Dosa Varieties » Horse Gram Adai | Kollu Adai Dosai

    Horse Gram Adai | Kollu Adai Dosai

    Posted on March 11, 2022 · Last Updated on March 11, 2022 · By Srividhya G · 16 Comments

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    Horse gram adai with text overlay for pinterest

    A healthy and delicious adai prepared with horse gram, rice, and black urad dal! It’s now quite easy to incorporate horse gram and black urad dal with this adai recipe.

    overhead of kollu adai served with jaggery and honey

    After ghavan, the next recipe in my dosa series is the horse gram adai, or as we say in Tamil kollu adai. Adai is a thick savory pancake prepared with lentils and rice. I have shared the regular adai recipe, and here is another one with horsegram or kollu.

    I have added some spinach and shallots to make it more healthy and spiced it up with green chilies. It’s a delicious adai, and you can relish it with honey or jaggery or with ghee.

    Jump to:
    • Horse Gram | Kollu
    • Ingredients required
    • Frequently asked questions
    • Side dishes for this dosa
    • Dietary specifications
    • How to make horse gram adai
    • Recipe notes
    • Explore other dosa varieties
    • 📖 Recipe

    Horse Gram | Kollu

    Horse gram, popularly known as kollu, is one of the healthiest and protein-rich lentils. It is predominantly served for the racehorses hence the name horse gram. But it’s safe for humans too.

    I grew up eating kollu chutney a lot, and I started exploring different kollu/horse gram recipes in my kitchen. You can find horse gram rasam powder, ulava charu/horse gram rasam, ulava charu biryani (Ulavalu means horse gram in Telugu), and horsegram stir fry recipes on my blog.
    I am adding this kollu adai to my kollu recipe repertoire.

    Ingredients required

    Idli rice and horse gram – I have used an equal measure of idli rice and horse gram. 

    Black urad dal – Instead of skinned urad, I used the whole black urad as it’s highly nutritious. After soaking, I did not remove the skin hence the adai color is different. Do you know the whole urad has a higher protein value than most legumes? It is also an excellent source of dietary fiber, vitamin B complex, and other minerals. 

    Green chilies – I have used green chilies to spice up the adai. You can use dried red chilies, too, and in that case, you can soak the dried chilies along with rice. 

    Shallots and spinach: Adding moringa leaves to adai is quite common, but I went with regular spinach. You can add moringa leaves or vegetables like grated carrots or finely chopped spinach. But do not go overboard with the veggies. Just add a little. 

    Apart from these ingredients, we also need salt, water, and oil or ghee to prepare the adai. 

    Frequently asked questions

    Should we grind adai batter coarse or fine?

    Typically we grind the adai batter slightly coarsely, giving a fantastic texture, but there is no harm in grinding it smooth. If you prefer thin and crispy adai, grind it smooth.

    Can I use white whole urad dal?

    Oh yeah, absolutely. I love incorporating black urad in everyday cooking, so I went with that. You can use skinned whole urad too.

    What vegetables can be added?

    You can add grated carrots, finely chopped cabbage, other greens, or bell peppers. But like I mentioned before, do not go overboard with the vegetables. Add a little for the flavor and texture. The cooking time of the adai also increases with more vegetables.

    Can I make it more like kollu dosai without vegetables?

    Of course, yes. In fact, I first made it as dosai without adding any vegetables. I added fenugreek and made it like regular idli-dosa batter by grinding it in a wet grinder. The batter ferments well, and you can make both idli and dosai. When I made dosai, we felt we could add more vegetables and spice them up. And that’s how the idea of adai came, and as it’s not fermented, it’s easy to make too without prior planning. But of course, you need to soak the lentils, and there is a bit of planning involved.

    I think I have answered the most common questions. Do let me know if I have missed any or if you have any questions in the comment section.

    horsegram adai dosai served with jaggery and honey

    Side dishes for this dosa

    In restaurants, you can find the combination adai and avial. But we love our adai with coconut chutney, jaggery or honey. You can also serve it with ghee and jaggery.

    Dietary specifications

    The batter and the dosa are naturally vegan and gluten-free. If you are not particular about the vegan diet, you can use ghee to prepare the dosa and serve with ghee.

    Like any other dosa, this horse gram adai is best when enjoyed hot. I won’t recommend making this dosa ahead and storing it. Prepare the batter well ahead and make the dosa as required.

    How to make horse gram adai

    Soaking and preparing the batter

    kollu adai batter preparation steo set 1
    • Pic1 – Rinse the rice, horse gram, and black urad separately until the water runs clear. Now add the ingredients to a bowl with sufficient water and soak for atleast 8 to 10 hours.
    • Pic 2 – After 8 hours, drain the water. Add ¼ cup of water to the blender and black urad and half of the horse gram mixture and grind it. Add water as required. 
    • Pic 3 – Transfer the batter to a bowl and grind the remaining horse gram and rice together with green chilies. Add water as required while grinding. Overall I used 1.5 cups of water while grinding.
    • Pic 4 – Transfer the batter to a bowl, rinse the mixer jar with ¼ tbsp, and add it. Add salt and mix well. 

    Make the adai

    kollu adai preparation step set 2
    • Pic 1 – Add finely chopped shallots and spinach to the batter and mix well. If needed, add ¼ cup of water. 
    • Pic 2 – Heat a well seasoned cast-iron pan, and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Take a ladle full of batter, pour it on the pan, and spread it gently. 
    • Pic 3 – Spread some oil around the edges let the adai cook. The cooking timing differs depending upon the thickness of the batter and veggies added; when the adai is fully cooked, the color will change. You can flip the adai then. 
    • Pic 4 – When the top part is fully cooked, loosen the edges, flip the adai, and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Now flip the adai and remove it from the pan. Similarly, make the rest of the adais with the remaining batter and serve hot. 

    Recipe notes

    • If the batter is thick, thin it down by adding 2 to 4 tbsp of water. Thicker batter will yield thick adai and if you prefer that way, go for it.
    • I have mentioned the water measure I used; please adjust as required. The amount might vary as per the rice quality.
    • Adjust the salt and green chilies to taste. Instead of green chilies, you can use dried red chilies too. In that case, soak it along with rice.
    • If you are not following a vegan diet, you can use ghee to prepare the adai. 
    kulith dosa/pancakes served in black plate with fabric on the side

    Explore other dosa varieties

    • Buckwheat Groats Dosa | Kuttu Dosa
    • Aval Dosai | Soft and Spongy Poha Dosa
    • Barnyard Millet Neer Dosa
    • Dill Leaves Dosa

    PS:  If you try this horse gram adai, please don’t forget to comment and rate this recipe. If you have any questions, please leave a comment, and I will get to it ASAP. Make sure to follow me on my Pinterest for more healthy and delicious ideas! Follow me on Instagram or join my Facebook Group for more recipe updates! You can also sign-up for my newsletter for weekly updates.

    📖 Recipe

    kollu adai served in black plate with a honey jar on the side
    Pin Recipe Print Recipe
    5 from 7 votes

    Horse Gram Adai | Kollu Adai Dosai

    Horse Gram Adai | Kollu Adai Dosai – A healthy and delicious adai prepared with horse gram, rice, and black urad dal!
    Prep Time5 mins
    Cook Time40 mins
    Soaking time and grinding time10 hrs
    Total Time10 hrs 45 mins
    Course: Breakfast
    Cuisine: Tamil Nadu
    Servings: 8 yields 12 to 15 dosa
    Calories: 218kcal
    Author: Srividhya G

    Equipment

    • 1 Blender like Blendtec
    • 1 Tawa or Griddle

    Ingredients

    Measurement Details : 1 cup = 240ml; 1 tbsp = 15ml; 1 tsp = 5ml;

    • 1 cup idli rice
    • 1 cup horsegram
    • ½ cup black urad dal
    • 2 cups water 1.75 to 2 cups
    • 1.5 tsp salt
    • 3 green chili
    • ¼ cup shallots or to taste
    • 1 cup spinach

    Instructions

    Soaking and preparing the batter

    • Rinse the rice, horse gram, and black urad separately until the water runs clear. Now add the ingredients to a bowl with sufficient water and soak for atleast 8 to 10 hours.
    • After 8 hours, drain the water. Add ¼ cup of water to the blender and black urad and half of the horse gram mixture and grind it. Add water as required.
    • Transfer the batter to a bowl and grind the remaining horse gram and rice together with green chilies. Add water as required while grinding. Overall I used 1.5 cups of water while grinding.
    • Transfer the batter to a bowl, rinse the mixer jar with ¼ tbsp, and add it. Add salt and mix well.

    Make the adai

    • Add finely chopped shallots and spinach to the batter and mix well. If needed, add ¼ cup of water.
    • Heat a well seasoned cast-iron pan, and when it is hot, reduce the heat to medium-low. Take a ladle full of batter, pour it on the pan, and spread it gently.
    • Spread some oil around the edges let the adai cook. The cooking timing differs depending upon the thickness of the batter and veggies added; when the adai is fully cooked, the color will change. You can flip the adai then.
    • When the top part is fully cooked, loosen the edges, flip the adai, and cook for 30 to 45 seconds. Now flip the adai and remove it from the pan. Similarly, make the rest of the adais with the remaining batter and serve hot.

    Notes

    • If the batter is thick, thin it down by adding 2 to 4 tbsp of water. Thicker batter will yield thick adai and if you prefer that way, go for it.
    • I have mentioned the water measure I used; please adjust as required. The amount might vary as per the rice quality.
    • Adjust the salt and green chilies to taste. Instead of green chilies, you can use dried red chilies too. In that case, soak it along with rice.
    • If you are not following a vegan diet, you can use ghee to prepare the adai. 

    Nutrition

    Calories: 218kcal | Carbohydrates: 42g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 502mg | Potassium: 302mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 362IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 36mg | Iron: 3mg

    I am not a nutritionist. The nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate only. It varies depending upon the product types or brands.

    Tried this recipe?Mention @vidhyasvegetariankitchen or tag #vidhyasvegkitchen
    For Video RecipesCheck out My YouTube Channel
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    Filed Under: Dosa Varieties

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rafeeda - The Big Sweet Tooth says

      June 08, 2022 at 7:24 am

      5 stars
      I have horsegram in my stock most of the time because we like making stirfry for lunch. I must try this adai then…

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        June 08, 2022 at 3:02 pm

        Please do try. I am sure you will love it.

        Reply
    2. Harini says

      April 25, 2022 at 5:04 pm

      5 stars
      I have also made kollu dosa for the dosa series and I used millet instead of rice and the crispy dosas were our most fav dosas ever. I shall try out the adai version with vegetables too. Good one.

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 26, 2022 at 4:36 pm

        Thanks Harini.

        Reply
    3. Usha Rao says

      April 10, 2022 at 5:59 pm

      5 stars
      Gonna try this recipe.. I have a pack of horse gram and was looking for recipes. This is perfect recipe to it up and also a healthy protein packed breakfast .

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        April 11, 2022 at 3:57 pm

        oh yeah. I hope you give it a try.

        Reply
    4. Sona says

      March 17, 2022 at 5:33 pm

      Healthy one

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 20, 2022 at 5:30 pm

        Thanks

        Reply
    5. Sharmila Kingsly says

      March 15, 2022 at 10:47 pm

      5 stars
      Healthy adai with horse gram, Perfect for weight loss !!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 16, 2022 at 5:16 pm

        Thanks :-)

        Reply
    6. Radha says

      March 13, 2022 at 6:08 pm

      5 stars
      Afantastic recipe as usual. I love to include horse gram for its proteincontent and adai is a great way to have it often! The adai looks amazing!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 16, 2022 at 5:18 pm

        Thanks Radha.

        Reply
    7. Anusha says

      March 13, 2022 at 3:14 am

      Of all the grams, I love Kollu. Its my Kongu roots probably. This dosai is so good and so easy too. Well made, Vidya

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 16, 2022 at 5:18 pm

        Thanks So much Anu.

        Reply
    8. Srivalli says

      March 12, 2022 at 11:16 pm

      5 stars
      This is such a healthy adai Srividhya, love kollu and the greens that’s gone in…will be a wonderful power packed breakfast for sure!

      Reply
      • Srividhya G says

        March 16, 2022 at 5:20 pm

        Thanks so much Valli.

        Reply

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