Thavala Adai (Delicious South Indian Snack)

Thavala Adai is a delicious South Indian dish made from rice and lentils. My mom makes lovely  Thavala Adai and this is her recipe. I am not sure how they named this dish but all I care about is its wonderful taste. It will be a nice variation from the regular snacks. My mom makes it for the evening tiffin or sometimes even for dinner. It is crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. It can be served with coconut chutney, tomoto gothsu or eggplant gothsu.

Preparation time: 45 minutes + 1 hour for drying rice

Yield: 15

Spice level: 2.5 out of 5

Ingredients:

• Raw rice – 1 cup
• Toor dal – 1/4 cup
• Chana dal – 1 tbsp
• Urad dal – 1 tbsp
• Black peppercorns – 2 tsp
• Dried red chili – 1
• Cumin seeds – 1 tsp
• Shredded coconut – 1/4 cup
• Curry leaves – 10
• Oil – 1/4 cup
• A pinch of asafoetida
• Salt to taste

Method of Preparation:

Wash and spread the rice on a clean kitchen towel and let it dry completely. Grind it separately until it becomes a a coarse meal (like rawa or sooji). Grind all the lentils separately along with black peppercorns and cumin seeds to a coarse meal.

Heat a wide pot or pan with a tbsp of oil. Add mustard seeds and let it splutter. Then add chopped curry leaves and dried chili broken to small pieces. Toss for a few seconds and add water in the ratio 1:2. Measure the rice and lentil mixture and add twice the amount of water.

When water starts boiling add shredded coconut, salt and then the rice lentil mixture. Stir well. Cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until the everything is cooked. Stir in between. Turn off the stove. A soft dough like mixture is formed.

When it becomes warm make big balls and flatten it, make a small dent in the middle. Heat a tawa or griddle and add 2 tbsp of oil. Place the flattened dough in tawa. Turn and cook both the side until it becomes golden brown and crispy on top.