Add all three lentils to a mixing bowl. Rinse thoroughly a few times until water runs relatively clear. Soak them in warm water. Next, rinse and soak the rice in a separate bowl. Let both soak for at least 3 hours, ideally 4 hours.

Add the soaked rice into a blender, along with ginger and 1 tsp salt. Add 1 cup of water and blend to a really smooth batter. Pour into a large mixing bowl and set aside.

Add soaked lentils to the blender, along with garlic, asafoetida, 2 tsp salt, and dried red chillies. Grind with ½ cup to a coarse paste. The idea is to blend them just until the chillies and garlic have incorporated well. You may need to do this in two batches.

Add ground lentil batter in with the rice mixture and mix thoroughly. This is the basic batter which is perfect as is. We often add herbs and veggies to it. Commonly used are onions, cilantro, and curry leaves. You could also add cabbage, carrots or spinach. I added about a cup of finely chopped onions and a handful of fresh cilantro. Let the batter rest for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat your cast iron tawa over medium heat. Preheat for 5 minutes over medium heat. You could use a non-stick pan as well. Traditionally, cast iron was used for both health and culinary reasons. The crispiness and crust that forms in an iron pan is wonderful.

Keep a little cup of canola oil handy. Once the cast iron pan is heated up, make sure it stays at medium heat. Spoon a tsp of oil and spread all over the pan. Use a rounded ladle to pour in one ladle full of batter to the center of the pan. Use the back of the ladle to evenly spread the batter from the inside out into a thin circle. If the batter sticks too much to your tawa, it means the heat is too high

Using a flip spatula, create a small hole in the center of the adai. This is done to enable more even cooking. Drizzle a tsp of oil all around the adai, and some in the center hole. Let it crisp for about a minute or two. Once you see golden crispy edges, flip it over and press down gently all over. Continue cooking the other side for 5 minutes. Repeat, make them all and serve piping hot with chutneys or podi.