Bengali culinary culture is one of the most diverse and richest in India. It is famous for its several outstanding meals, which include vegetarian, non-vegetarian, and dessert specialties. Bengali food has made an incomparable contribution to Indian cuisine. Luchi recipe is one of the assets of Bengali cuisine, which is not only a bread recipe but also a part of Bengali culture. This soft, flaky, puffy and ready to melt in mouth, Luchi is deep-fried puffed and beautiful white bread made of all-purpose flour, popular for its versatility—you can pair it with meat, dal, or even with a simple potato curry. In fact, there are many Bengali households where Luchi is eaten just with sugar.
Luchi is not the same as poori. Poori is a North Indian type puffed bread made with whole wheat flour, whereas Luchi is a Bengali puffed deep fried bread made with maida or all-purpose flour. Also, Both bhature and Luchi are prepared using all-purpose flour, but the distinction is that Luchi is unleavened bread, while bhatura dough is slightly fermented with yogurt or yeast. It is believed that Portuguese brought the technology with them to make Refined Flour (Maida), to India. Portuguese used refined flour to bake their bread. But Bengalis didn’t know, how to make bread at that time. So, they took Refined flour and make dough out of it, roll it like a flat bread and deep fried it
Ingredients:
1. 2 cups all purpose flour
2. 2 tablespoon Ghee or 2.5 tablespoon oil
3. water as required
4. salt as required
5. ghee or oil for deep frying
Procedure to prepare Luchi
1. In a bowl or a large plate first add the flour, ghee and salt
2. Add 1 or 2 tbsp water and mix everything with your hands or with a spatula
3. Then add about 1/2 cup of water and begin to knead the flour
4. Add water as required and knead very well
5. Once done, Cover the dough with a moist kitchen napkin and let it rest for minimum 30 minutes at room temperature.
Rolling And Frying Luchi-
1. Make lemon sized balls from the dough and cover them with the moist napkin
2. Apply some oil on the balls, roll each into a circular disc
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan
4. Drop a small piece of the dough in the oil and if it comes up steadily from the bottom, it means the oil is ready for the luchi to be fried
5. Gently drop the dough disc into the hot oil
6. Gently nudge with a spoon or spatula to help in the complete puffing up of the Luchi
7. When one side has become creamish and the oil has stopped sizzling, turn over and fry the other side
8. Remove and serve hot with aloo dum, chola dal or any Bengali vegetable or lentil curry
Luchi is more than just a flat bread recipe in Bengali cuisine and culture. Whether it's a weekend special breakfast or a festive event, from "Durga puja" to "pohela baishakh," the recipe for Bengali Luchi is always there as an evidence of the joy . It is one of the most famous and cherished tiny breads that can be found in almost every Bengali home.