This quinoa brown rice adai is the best vegan and gluten free breakfast or dinner option. This quinoa adai dosai is loaded with plant based protein and is a great recipe to start the day.
Make sure to check out Socca - Chickpea flatbread, Idli - Indian rice cakes and Neer dosai - rice crepes for more Vegan and gluten free breakfast options.
Quinoa is one of the whole grains that I don't mind including in my diet, but my husband is not a big fan of it. He would not eat quinoa as is, but when I use it hidden in recipes like this Quinoa Brown Rice Adai, he does not mind it at all. I love using lot of lentils in my adai and these days I am going all whole lentils with the skin as it has more fiber.
The classic adai dosai recipe uses chana dal, toor dal, moong dal and a little bit of urad dal. I have used whole moong, whole black urad, whole masoor and horsegram dal along with some chana dal.
I have started using brown rice in adai a long time back like this Brown rice adai recipe here. This is the first time I am using quinoa in adai and trust me if my husband did not notice any difference, no one could. There was absolutely no change in the taste of the adai dosai and we get all the added nutrition of the quinoa.
I was planning to use all quinoa for the recipe, but was still a little hesitant, thinking about my husband. So, I used half quinoa and half brown rice to make the recipe. Next time when I would make adai dosai again, I will be using all quinoa to try it again.
Cooking with whole grains
I love cooking with lentils and have started using whole lentils with skin for the added benefits. The flavor of the whole lentils is something I really like. There is always a stock of all the lentils at home and when it is time to make the adai, it is a festival for me to choose what lentils I would use.
I have been using horse gram lentil for the couple of times in the adai and I would highly recommend this recipe to try it if you have not tried it before. I also make this Horse gram lentil subzi which is loved by everyone at home.
Quinoa is a love hate relationship at home. There are certain recipes with quinoa that my husband loves, like this Quinoa Chakkara Pongal, Quinoa dosai, and Quinoa Vegetable Cutlet. He does not care for quinoa as a substitute for rice when eating with sambhar or rasam. If you are someone who has a texture issue like my husband does, then I would highly suggest this Quinoa Brown Rice Adai recipe.
More Quinoa recipes
Preparation time - 10 minutes plus 4 to 6 hours of soaking time
Cooking time - 30 minutes
Difficulty level - Easy
Ingredients needed
- Quinoa - ½ cup
- Brown rice - ½ cup (can use white rice instead)
- Green gram dal / Whole Moong / Pachai Payaru - ¼ cup
- Whole Masoor dal (with skin) - ¼ cup
- Whole Urad dal (with skin) - ¼ cup
- Horse gram lentil / kollu - ¼ cup
- Chana dal / kadalai paruppu - ¼ cup
- Red chilies - 6
- Green chilies - 4
- Asafetida - ¼ tsp
- Curry leaves -few
- Salt - to taste
- Onion - 1 cup (finely chopped)
- Oil - to make the adai / crepes
Step by step process
- Measure the quinoa, brown rice and all the lentils into a bowl. Wash it well and soak them together for 4 to 6 hours.
- I usually soak them late morning and then grind it to make adai for dinner or soak it at night to make adai for breakfast.
- Drain the water and then grind them along with red chilies, green chilies, salt, asafetida and curry leaves. My mother grinds the batter a little coarse for adai whereas I like it smooth. So, depending on your preference you could grind it a little coarse or smooth. Add just enough water to make it like a dosa batter.
- Add the chopped onions to the batter and mix well. We can make these without onions as well or can use chopped cabbage or grated carrots instead.
- Heat a griddle / cast iron pan and pour a ladle full of batter. Spread it around to make a thin crepe. Again, my mother makes adai thicker and I like them thinner. So spread it based on your preference.
- Make a hole in the center and spread oil around the crepes and in the center. The hole in the center helps to cook the adai well.
- Cook it on both the sides until golden brown and serve hot.
- We love our adai with vellam and vennai / Jaggery and butter. Serve it with Aviyal or any chutney of your choice.
Expert tips
- Soak the quinoa, brown rice and lentils in adequate water. The lentils swell up a little when soaked.
- If using all whole lentils with skin, soak them a little longer. Whole lentils takes time to soften and it is also better for digestion.
- I have added onions in the quinoa adai dosai batter. We can skip the onions or use chopped cabbage or grated carrots or a mix as well. We can add grated yellow pumpkin / squash as well. Onions though add a very distinct and wonderful flavor.
- Cast iron pan works the best when making adai. The slow and even cook alows the adai dosai to become crispy.
- Make a hole in the center of the adai dosai or even a couple more. Add a little drop of oil in all the holes. This helps in even cooking of the adai.
Frequently asked questions
Absolutely yes. Adai is typically made with white rice and lentils. I have used brown rice as a change.
We can skip quinoa and use all brown rice or part brown rice and white rice. Millet works very well in adai recipe. We can add half millet and half brown rice to make the same recipe.
Without adding any onions or vegetables, the leftover adai batter can be stored in the refrigerator for couple of days. Bring the batter to room temperature before making adai.
More crepes recipes
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | twitter
Quinoa Brown Rice Adai | Vegan and Gluten Free Crepes
Equipment
- bowl
- Cast Iron Pan
- spatula
- Blender
Ingredients
- ½ cup Quinoa
- ½ cup Brown rice
- ¼ cup Whole Green gram dal / Whole Moong / Pachai Payaru
- ¼ cup Whole Masoor dal with skin
- ¼ cup Whole Urad dal with skin
- ¼ cup Horse gram lentil / kollu
- ¼ cup Chana dal / kadalai paruppu
- 6 Red chilies
- 4 Green chilies
- ¼ teaspoon Asafetida
- few Curry leaves
- to taste Salt
- 1 cup Onion finely chopped
- Oil to make the adai / crepes
Instructions
- Measure the quinoa, brown rice and all the lentils into a bowl. Wash it well and soak them together for 4 to 6 hours.
- I usually soak them late morning and then grind it to make adai for dinner or soak it at night to make adai for breakfast.
- Drain the water and then grind them along with red chilies, green chilies, salt, asafetida and curry leaves. My mother grinds the batter a little coarse for adai whereas I like it smooth. So, depending on your preference you could grind it a little coarse or smooth. Add just enough water to make it like a dosa batter.
- Add the chopped onions to the batter and mix well.
- Heat a griddle / cast iron pan and pour a ladle full of batter. Spread it around to make a thin crepe. Again, my mother makes adai thicker and I like them thinner. So spread it based on your preference.
- Make a hole in the center and spread oil around the crepes and in the center. The hole in the center helps to cook the adai well.
- Cook it on both the sides until golden brown and serve hot.
- We love our adai with vellam and vennai / Jaggery and butter. Serve it with Aviyal or any chutney of your choice.
Notes
- Soak the quinoa, brown rice and lentils in adequate water. The lentils swell up a little when soaked.
- If using all whole lentils with skin, soak them a little longer. Whole lentils takes time to soften and it is also better for digestion.
- I have added onions in the quinoa adai dosai batter. We can skip the onions or use chopped cabbage or grated carrots or a mix as well. We can add grated yellow pumpkin / squash as well. Onions though add a very distinct and wonderful flavor.
- Cast iron pan works the best when making adai. The slow and even cook alows the adai dosai to become crispy.
- Make a hole in the center of the adai dosai or even a couple more. Add a little drop of oil in all the holes. This helps in even cooking of the adai.
Padmajha PJ says
Two healthy ingredients added to the already healthy adai! Awesome dish Sandhya. The adai looks so good and I love to have adai wit butter!
Priya Srinivasan says
We love quinoa at home! This Adai looks super crisp and that color is amazing ! Love how quinoa can be adapted easily into our cuisine! Looks perfect ❤️
sapana says
I have not even tried basic adai and here you posted this amazing variation. Quinoa and brown rice gave a wonderful color to the crepes.
Manjula Bharath says
Quinoa and brown rice for adai is a fabulous idea sandhya , apart from the nutrition they look so delicious as well. I am loving the combination of dals and Kollu added to this protein-packed adai as well. Wonderful recipe and smart thinking for the letter Q.
Pavani says
Adai with quinoa sounds amazing - so healthy and nutritious. I have tried adai with brown rice but not with quinoa. Looks crispy and inviting.
Srivalli says
What an excellent choice Sandhya, I love the way your adai looks, will surely want to try this sometime!
Mayuri Patel says
A perfect choice for Q, I love how you've used whole lentils.The adai look so crispy.Healthy and wholesome. Bookmarking this recipe to try it.
Vaishali Sabnani says
Sandhya you have a perfect choice for Q. I love the way you have used it with brown rice and lentils for adai. I must use my brown rice pack now..the whole concept is excellent. The adai looks such a wholesome meal , so healthy.
Gunjan says
Thanks for the recipe Sandhya Ramakrishnan I tried these and they came out crispy and very tasty...I can't make dosa, no matter how hard I try, but these were just beautiful...saved this recipe.
Priya Suresh says
Excellent addition of quinoa here. Both quinoa and brown rice works awesome in adais or dosas. Have tried couple of time and everytime these adais are huge success among everyone at home. Well done Sandhya.
kalyani says
Quinoa is hidden likewise at home. I love it in soups and stews but kids don't like it. the Adai with quinoa n brown rice is our fav too and u have made it so well.. great job 🙂
Srividhya Gopalakrishnan says
I can gobble this adai without any complaints. Love the addition of kollu also. What a wholesome and healthy meal?
Sandhiya ThirumalaiKumar says
Such a healthy adai recipe with quinoa. It turned out so good, sounds delicious !!! Haven't try many recipe with recipe, so bookmarked to give a try !!!
Gayathri Kumar says
Adai is such a versatile dish and you can sneak in so many healthy ingredients without changing its taste. I add so many millets in the batter and no one has found out till now. Your quinoa version looks so good Sandhya..
Sharmila Kingsly says
Healthy adai ,Always like fusion adai as we can sneak in all the grains and have some healthy food for the family!!
harini says
Looks like this is very crispy. Love all the ingredients which went in there to make it super healthy.