Adai is a thick crepe, consumed mainly in South India. There are several versions of adai, mostly with minor variations. Traditionally, adai is prepared with lentils and rice. But adai can be prepared with any cereal and lentil combinations. I once prepared adai with quinoa and it tasted wonderful. Adai is also prepared for the South Indian festival of Karthigai, occurring for three days from the full moon during November-December.
Adai can be paired with any yogurt based wet dish. It can also be paired with any natural sweet syrup, though I haven’t tried this. But, as kids, we were served adai with jaggery mixed in ghee. This is another traditional combination. So I presume it will work with syrups like maple syrup.

Ingredients
1 cup millet of your choice (I used Little Millet)
1/2 cup Bengal gram
1/2 cup pigeon peas
1/4 cup split black lentils
2 dried red chilies
Unrefined salt to taste
A pinch of asafoetida (hing, perunkayam)
Method
Wash the lentils and millet thoroughly
Soak them together in 4 cups of water, overnight
Add the chilies to the soaked ingredients
Grind the lentils and millet into a thick, coarse paste
Cut an onion or potato into half
Set aside
Heat a griddle
Pour a ladle of the batter in the centre of the griddle and spread outward using the back of the ladle
Don’t try to spread it too thin; this is a thick crepe
Cook one side of the adai, about 1 minute, before flipping over
Once both sides are done, transfer the adai to a casserole
Use the flat side of the onion or potato to rub the griddle
Repeat for the remaining batter
Serve hot with a yogurt based wet dish or your choice of WFPB syrup
Enjoy,
Variations: Reduce millet by 1/2 cup and substitute with 1/2 cup rice. Change your lentils. Any combination of grain and lentils should work. Try adding pepper powder to the batter.