Luchi recipe, How to make Luchi, Bengali luchi recipe

Luchi is a very popular dish among Bengalis. There is an emotional connection between a foodie and Luchi.

What is Luchi ?

Luchi is a deep fried puffed bread made with Maida or all purpose flour. It has a off white texture. Though some people think that Poori and Luchi are same. But there is a little difference between these two.

Poori is made with whole wheat flour or Aata. North Indians make Poori which is more crisp and brownish in color. Whereas Luchi is much softer and delicious in taste.

We Bengalis serve Luchi in breakfast, lunch and even in dinner. Phulko luchi with Aloo dum or Cholar dal is such a combination that everyone falls in love with. It also goes well with sweet dishes like Sooji ka Halwa, Bengali sweet pudding Chal er Payesh etc.

How to make a perfect Luchi ?

It is very important to prepare the dough properly. Otherwise it might not taste good. For preparing the dough, use cow ghee to get that aroma and softness in your Luchi. But if you are a health conscious person, you can skip ghee and use oil in your dough. In my opinion, if you are eating such fried breads once in a while, it would not make much difference. Especially on festive mornings, we cannot just resist Luchis.

Another thing which I think is a bit concerning among people is how to make a perfect round shaped Luchi. Even I also faced such issues when I tried preparing this. I believe it all depends on the regularity or how often do you make it. Practice makes a man perfect. 🙂 Start with any shape and eventually you will be able to make it one day.

So without any further delay, let’s get started with the recipe.

 

Ingredients :

• Maida or all purpose Flour 200 gm
• Oil or Ghee 2 tablespoon (for moyen in dough preparation)
• Water as required
• Salt as required
• Oil for deep frying

Method of preparation :

1. In a large bowl, take Maida and ghee/oil.
2. Mix the ghee or oil evenly into the maida.
3. Now add some water and mix everything nicely.
4. Add some more water and knead the dough very well. Kneading will provide gluten to the Luchis which ultimately helps it to puff properly while frying.
5. The dough should be smooth and soft.
6. Cover the dough and rest it for 20-30 minutes.
7. After that, take out small portions from the dough to make small round balls.
8. Take your time to shape the dough balls properly. It will help making round Luchi.
9. Now take some oil and apply it all over the dough ball. Start rolling it from the center.
10. Rotate and roll it again by applying gentle pressure. Make it in short simple strokes.
11. Take a heavy bottomed pan or kadhai. Heat oil in it. Make sure you use enough oil to deep fry the breads.
12. When the oil becomes heated enough and you can see the heated vapor coming out of it. Place the rounded dough portion very carefully in the oil. Press gently to help it puff properly.
13. When one side has become slight brown in color, flip it over gently. Cook it for few seconds.
14. Finally remove the Luchi from pan and drain the extra oil with a tissue. Puffed Luchi is ready to be served hot.