- Traditionally, luchi is made with all-purpose flour only. It’s called Maida’r Luchi in Bengali.
- However, in many homes these days the use of maida has been toned down.
- What I do is, mix 1 cup wheat atta with 2 cups of maida and knead the dough with about two tablespoons canola/vegetable oil.
- The dough for luchi has to be hard and not soft like the kind we knead for chapatis.
- I knead my dough and keep it covered for about an hour and then knead it again to tighten it up and smoothen out any air bubbles.
- Poke a finger to your dough, if you see a dimple form, you know your Luchi’r dough is perfect.
- In other words, your dough should be like a baby's bottom!
- Divide the dough into slightly smaller-than-a-lime-size balls.
- Round each ball by rolling it between the palms of your hands.
- Roll out each luchi by slightly contacting the ball of dough with the warm oil from the karhai/wok. Luchi should be evenly rolled out and thin.
- Luchi should be made in a round karhai. Usually it was a cast iron wok, large enough to fit a couple of luchis at one time. Modern day kitchens have replaced the traditional kodai/karhai with non-stick woks which work fine as well.
- Heat vegetable/canola oil until almost smoking, and slide in the luchi. One at a time.
- With a jhanjhra/slotted spoon, press lightly to fluff up the luchi.
- Turn the luchi before it gets brown. Many families also add a pinch of sugar to their dough to get extra caramelization on their luchi, as sugar burns up quickly. You can do away with it.
- It takes just a few seconds to deep fry a luchi.
- Keep each puffed up luchi on paper towels for the excess oil to drain off.
- Serve as you make them or immediately.
- Luchi is best eaten with chholaar dal, mota-mota alu bhaja, begun bhaja, shada alur chorchori, kosha mangsho, ghugni, payesh, or kheer.
- Jam, chini, jhola gur, bonde, doi, jilipi come a close second! ;-)
