Luchi is a deep fried bread that originates in Bengal. It is a variant of Poori but made with Maida.
Luchi is very popular in the eastern states of India. If you want to get more information on Bengali cuisine and other regional cuisines, you should definitely check out my friends blog.
Vishesh Tippani / Additional Commentary
Luchi is very similar to Poori but made of Maida. Being Maharashtrian, I added a pinch of sugar to this recipe to get a slightly more crispy and sweet flavor.
Luchi is made from Maida and as a result is hard to roll into a perfect disc. Maida is very elastic and as soon as you lift it to fry, the shape may change. This reminded me of something that every one who has tried to make roti's has heard from their teacher - "Policaha nakasha chaan jhala ahe ", which translates to - Oh! your roti looks like a map - which is a way of saying that it has no shape and it is nowhere close to the round shape that it should be!
If you are obsessed about the round shape, use a katori or a cookie cutter to get perfect circles.
What do I need?
1 C Maida
A little salt to taste
1 tbsp. milk (optional)
1 tsp. Sugar (optional)
1 tbsp. oil heated
1 c warm water water
How do I make it?
Mix flour, salt, sugar oil together.
Rub the oil into the flour. Doing this ensures a better texture.
Add milk, warm water and knead into a dough. I used a stand mixer and let it run for a good 7-10- minutes on low speed.
Cover and keep aside for 20 minutes.
Knead again to form smooth dough.
Heat oil in a frying pan.
Make small round balls from the dough (like pooris).
Roll the dough - Add a little oil on top to make it easier to roll.
Deep fry in the oil – unlike pooris these should not be browned
Keep calm and call mom tips:
Maida is hard to roll. One of the tricks I have used is you start at the center and roll outward.
Make sure you knead the dough for a long time so it is smooth.
When rolling the Luchis, you can add dip your finger in cold oil or and add it to the ball before rolling. I usually roll 5 at a time and fry them. This makes it easier for me to count. If you are a pro, like one of my friends, you can dip the round ball in the hot oil before frying but be warned - this is only for the pros!
Make sure you cover the remaining dough while you are rolling and frying. This tends to get dry very quickly and your dough may get lumpy.
Don't fry too much. These should not be browned.
Accompaniments
Aloor dum
Kosha Mangsho
If you want to get more information on Bengali cuisine, or what you can pair this with, you can check out my friends blog.
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