Thavala Adai | Traditional South Indian Spiced Rice-Lentil Pancake

✨ A crispy, golden, and wholesome South Indian tiffin — crunchy outside, soft inside, and bursting with traditional flavors! ✨

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Thavala Adai is a classic South Indian dish deeply rooted in Tamil Brahmin households, often made as a hearty evening tiffin or festive special. With coarsely ground rice and lentils spiced with black pepper, curry leaves, and hing, it beautifully blends the comfort of upma with the crunch of adai.

Traditionally, the mixture is first cooked like a thick upma, then shaped into patties and roasted until golden brown. Each bite offers earthy spices, nuttiness from coconut, and richness of ghee, making this dish both nourishing and satisfying.

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🛒 Ingredients

• Raw rice – 1½ cups
• Toor dal – ½ cup
• Urad dal – 1 tbsp
• Dry red chili – 1–2
• Black pepper – 1 tbsp
• Curry leaves – few
• Grated coconut – ½ cup
• Hing (asafoetida) – a pinch
• Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
• Salt – as required
• Oil – 3–4 tbsp (for cooking + roasting)
• Ghee – 1 tbsp

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👩‍🍳 Preparation

🔸 Step 1: Make Rice-Lentil Rava

1. In a mixer, grind rice, toor dal, black pepper, and dry red chili into a coarse rava-like texture. Keep aside.

🔸 Step 2: Cook the Base Mixture

1. Heat 3 tbsp oil in a kadai.
2. Add mustard seeds, let them splutter.
3. Add urad dal, saute until light brown.
4. Mix in hing + curry leaves, saute briefly.
5. Pour in 5 cups of water (ratio: 2.5 cups water per 1 cup rice mix).
6. Add grated coconut + salt, bring to a rolling boil.
7. Lower flame and slowly add ground rice mixture, stirring continuously to avoid lumps.
8. Cook on low flame until thick and upma-like.
9. Add ghee, mix well, cover, and rest until warm enough to handle.

🔸 Step 3: Shape & Roast

1. Grease hands with oil. Take a portion of the mixture, roll into a ball, and flatten into a thick patty.
2. Heat tawa, drizzle oil, and place patties with space between them.
3. Roast on medium-low flame for 3–4 minutes per side until crisp and golden.
4. Flip and repeat on the other side.
5. Serve hot!

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🍽️ Serving Suggestions

• Pairs well with coconut chutney, tomato chutney, or plain curd.
• Makes a wholesome evening snack, breakfast, or light dinner.

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🧊 Storage Tips

• The ground rice-lentil mixture (dry rava form) can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for 1–2 weeks.
• The cooked upma-like mixture (before shaping patties) can be refrigerated for 1 day. Steam slightly before shaping and roasting.
• Prepared Thavala Adai patties taste best fresh, but can be refrigerated for up to 1 day and reheated on a tawa to regain crispness.

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💪 Nutritional Benefits

• Rice & Toor Dal – Carbs + protein combo that gives energy and satiety.
• Black Pepper – Boosts digestion, adds warmth.
• Coconut – Provides healthy fats and flavor.
• Curry leaves & hing – Gut-friendly, aromatic.
• Ghee – Adds richness and healthy fats.

👉 Thavala Adai is not just a dish, but a traditional recipe that celebrates balance — crunch, spice, and nourishment all in one bite!

Video Tutorial