"I love luchi" is something nearly every bengali
you know will say and my Parsi hubby says it with equal fervour. While I'd love
to make luchi every week I barely make it once a year - all that white flour
and deep frying has made it one the most forbidden treats of all. So it is only
natural that one chooses a special day for luchis - either a birthday or
anniversary, or a favourite festival.
This year I was convalescing through the
Durga puja after a nasty bout of the mumps and hadn't cooked any special meal
or made any dessert through the puja duration. On Dussehra day - Bijoya Dashami
for us Bongs - I felt a keen need to make SOMETHING at least. I couldn't let
the pujas pass without putting at least one special treat on the dinner table,
I just couldn't! So luchi -torkari it was.
Puffy pillowy luchis accompanied by
my favourite Aloo Phulkopi'r torkari. Luchis are the Bengali puris made with
all purpose flour, with not a hint of any healthy whole wheat or other flour
tainting its pristine complexion. The dough must have good quality ghee in it,
and is kneaded with plain water. While frying the luchi you must make sure the
luchis remain white with just a bare blush of brown, if at all. Of course, they
must puff up like perfect little balloons.
INGREDIENTS
INGREDIENTS
500 gms Maida
2 tsps Ghee
1/2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Salt
Water
Oil for frying
Empty the maida into a large flat bottomed vessel or platter.
Add the ghee to it and mix it in with your fingers till you have a crumbly mix.
Sprinkle in the salt and mix properly.
Add water a little at a time and bring the dough together
with your fingers. Keep kneading till you have a soft and smooth dough.
Knead
for around 5 minutes and then let the dough rest, covered, for 30 minutes.
Set enough oil to heat in a kadai or wok to fry the luchis.
Divide the rested dough into small balls, each of which will
be rolled out into a luchi. Try to make these balls as uniform as you can.
Dab each ball with a little oil and then roll it out into a
disc around 5 inches in diameter.
Roll firmly pushing the dough out and
avoiding folds as you roll.
Place the disc as flat as possible into the hot oil and
gently push it down with your slotted spoon to make it puff up nicely. Flip it
over quickly and fry the other side.
Remove the luchi to a plate and proceed in this fashion till
you have fried all the luchis.
There is a skill in making perfect luchis.
Remember to let the dough rest. You will get a more pliable
dough and will find it rolls out better.
Use a firm and confident hand when rolling out the discs and
try to roll as uniformly as possible avoiding thick edges. A uniformly thin
disc will make for a perfectly puffed up luchi. Make sure there are no folds or
tears in the rolled out disc.
Once the oil is nice and hot reduce the heat to medium and
maintain that temperature. If your oil is too hot the luchi will turn brown and
not cook properly. If the oil is not hot enough the luchi will absorb loads of
oil and will not cook fast enough, nor will it puff up.
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