K T Achaya, an eminent food scientist and food historian of our country, reveals in his book, “The Story of Our Food”, that the concept of blending plant proteins by mixing cereals and pulses was prevalent since the Indo-Aryan times dating back to 1500 BC. Research now reveals that such blended foods are a storehouse of complementary proteins with a better biological value. A classic blended food is the “ADAI’ which again is described by the food historian Achaya as a shallow fried circlet of “the Tamil country”. This traditional fare is described in the Tamil Sangam literature between the 3 rd and 6th centuries AD, as a snack served by vendors on the seashore,” he writes. Silappadikaram, one of the first epics in Tamil written by Elango Adigal, a first-century poet, in his work, depicts a scene along the seashore where food vendors are selling crisp adais …… A historical and authentic reference to Indian street food indeed.
Foodialogues brings to you a crisp Cabbage Rava Adai, a delicious recipe for a chill December evening. Spiced with pepper and cumin these crisp thick roundels is paired with spicy onion chutney. The combination loaded with protein and fibre is definitely a foodie’s delight.
CABBAGE RAVA ADAI RECIPE
Ingredients for Cabbage Rava Adai:
- Rava/Semolina 1 C
- Tuvar Dal/Red Gram Dal ½ C
- Channa Dal/Bengal Gram Dal ½ C
- Urad Dal/Black Gram Dal 2 Tbsp
- Shredded Cabbage 1C
- Crushed Pepper 1 Tbsp
- Crushed Jeera 1 Tsp
- Asafoetida 1 Tsp
- Salt As Required
- Oil For Drizzling
Preparation Method for Cabbage Rava Adai:
- Lightly roast the semolina in a hot pan. Remove it onto a bowl and pour 1 C of water and allow it to soak.
- Wash and soak the dals for 2 hours. Grind to a thick coarse paste with water.
- Mix the soaked rava and dals along with the required salt. Mix well. Add cabbage and the spices and give a good mix. Check the cocn
- Pour a ladle of the batter on a hot griddle and spread it into a thick dosa. Drizzle oil and cook on both sides till crisp and golden brown.
- Serve hot with onion chutney.
Tasty “Cabbage Rava Adai” is Ready 🙂
