Murungakeerai Adai | Drumstick Leaves - Lentil Crepes

Most of the times when I tell mom that I made Adai – the famous and filling lentil crepes of South India,she would tell me that grandmom would always add a handful or two of drumstick leaves. Many a times , I too have followed grandmas footsteps but it has never made it to the blog.

So when I chose Drumstick greens as the ingredient for Week 3 of the Mega Blogging Marathon #68 themed Cooking Carnival , I made note to include this recipe in the repertoire.This dish joins the list complied for recipes with drumstick leaves and I still have a few more recipe to add to the collection.

This adai is yet another way to include the healthy greens in the diet, especially for those who feel they cannot have the dry curry / porriyal, this one will be a better way to include the greens in the menu.

I used:

Adai Batter – 5 cups / to make 10 adais
Drumstick leaves- 1 cup, picked and washed, packed
Onion-1, finely chopped
Cumin seeds- 1 teaspoon
Grated coconut- 2 tablespoons
Oil to cook the adai

Heat a little oil in a pan and saute the drumstick leaves till it wilts and add a little water if needed to cook it. After a few minutes, remove from heat.

Take the adai batter in large bowl, add sauteed drumstick greens, cumin, onion,coconut. Mix well to combine all the ingredients. Add a little water if the mixture if too thick.

Heat a griddle and pour a ladle full of batter in the center and spread to a circle. Drizzle a little oil around the edges.Cover and cook till the batter does not stick to your fingers when touched[be careful, it is hot!!].

Flip if over and cook for a minute and remove from griddle.

Serve right off the griddle. We had it with a choice of side – Sambar, Tomato onion chutney, Milagai Podi [mixed with sesame oil], and the quintessential filter coffee.

Note:

Use tender drumstick leaves. Mature ones take longer to cook and is a bit difficult to digest as well.
I used sambar onion / shallots in this dish. You can use the regular onion as well.
Adding grated coconut is optional.
I saute and cook the drumstick leaves before adding to the batter. Since the adai on its own is heavy on the tummy, adding the cooked drumstick greens will not cause problems with digestion.

Bon Appetit…