Quinoa Brown Rice Adai | Vegan And Gluten Free Crepes

The choice for alphabet Q was a no struggle and I knew I was going to cook something with Quinoa. This 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 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 and we get all the added nutrient 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 again, I will be using all quinoa to try it again.

Whole grain cooking –

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.

My Other Posts in the A – Z Explore the Flavors Series

A for Akki Roti

B for Baghrir with Orange Butter Sauce

C for Chickpeas Shawarma

D for Double Ka Meetha

E for Esquites

F for Farro Salad

G for Gur Papdi

H for Hayagreeva Maddi

I for Idli

J for Jau Ki Papdi

K for Karthigai Pori

L for Lemon Chia Seeds Muffin

M for Mysore Pak

N for Narali Bhath

O for Oatmeal Payasam

P for Pav Bhaji

Preparation time – 10 minutes plus 4 to 6 hours of soaking time
Cooking time – 30 minutes
Difficulty level – Easy

Ingredients to make Quinoa Brown Rice Adai – Makes around 15

• Quinoa – 1/2 cup
• Brown rice – 1/2 cup
• Green gram dal / Whole Moong / Pachai Payaru – 1/4 cup
• Whole Masoor dal (with skin) – 1/4 cup
• Whole Urad dal (with skin) – 1/4 cup
• Horse gram lentil / kollu – 1/4 cup
• Chana dal / kadalai paruppu – 1/4 cup
• Red chilies – 6
• Green chilies – 4
• Asafetida – 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves -few
• Salt – to taste
• Onion – 1 cup (finely chopped)
• Oil – to make the adai / crepes

Procedure to make Quinoa Brown Rice Adai –

• 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.

5 from 10 votes

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Quinoa Brown Rice Adai | Vegan and Gluten Free Crepes

A delicious and flavorful crepe made with quinoa and brown rice along with several lentils making it an healthy breakfast. A gluten free and Vegan recipe!

Course Breakfast, Main Course

Cuisine Indian, South Indian

Keyword brown rice adai, how to make adai, quinoa adai, quinoa and brown rice crepe, whole grain crepe

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 30 minutes

Total Time 40 minutes

Servings 15 servings

Author Sandhya Ramakrishnan

Ingredients

• Quinoa - 1/2 cup
• Brown rice - 1/2 cup
• Whole Green gram dal / Whole Moong / Pachai Payaru - 1/4 cup
• Whole Masoor dal with skin - 1/4 cup
• Whole Urad dal with skin - 1/4 cup
• Horse gram lentil / kollu - 1/4 cup
• Chana dal / kadalai paruppu - 1/4 cup
• Red chilies - 6
• Green chilies - 4
• Asafetida - 1/4 tsp
• Curry leaves  -few
• Salt - to taste
• Onion - 1 cup finely chopped
• Oil - to make the adai / crepes

Instructions

1. Measure the quinoa, brown rice and all the lentils into a bowl. Wash it well and soak them together for 4 to 6 hours.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Add the chopped onions to the batter and mix well.
5. 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.
6. 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.
7. Cook it on both the sides until golden brown and serve hot.
8. We love our adai with vellam and vennai / Jaggery and butter. Serve it with Aviyal or any chutney of your choice.