Luchi & Ghugni

Luchi is a deep fried and much loved Bengali bread. Luchi is made with all purpose flour, salt and ghee/oil.

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Luchi Recipe:

Ingredients:

Baking and Spices

1. All Purpose flour - 2 cups

2. Salt as required - 1

Oils and Vinegars

1. Ghee or Oil - 1

Dairy

1. Ghee - 2 tbsp

Liquids

1. Water as required

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Method:

Preparing Dough for Luchi

• In a bowl or a large plate (tray) first add the flour, ghee and salt.

• Add 1 or 2 tbsp water and mix everything with your hands or with a spatula.

• Then add about 1/2 cup of water and begin to knead the flour.

• Add water as required and knead very well. The dough should be soft and smooth.

• Cover the dough with a moist kitchen napkin and let it rest for minimum 30 minutes at room temperature.

Rolling and Frying Luchi

• Make lemon sized balls from the dough and cover them with the moist napkin.

• Apply some oil on the balls, roll each into a circle of about 3-4 inches.

• Heat oil for deep frying in a kadai or pan. The oil has to become hot.

• 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.

• Gently drop the dough circle into the hot oil. The luchi will begin to puff up.

• Gently nudge with a spoon to help in the complete puffing up of the luchi.

• When one side has become creamish and the oil has stopped sizzling, turn over and fry the other side.

• Remove and drain on kitchen towels for the extra oil to be soaked.

• Serve hot with aloor dum, chola dal or any bengali vegetable or lentil curry.

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Ghugni Recipe:

Ingredients:

1. Black Chickpeas - 1 cup or 200 grams

2. Mustard Oil - 2 tbsp

3. Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp

4. Teg Patta (Bay Leaf) - 1

5. Cinnamon - 1 inch

6. Cloves - 2 (optional)

7. 2 Meduim to Large Onions, finely chopped - 1.3 cups

8. 2 Medium to Large Tomatoes, finely chopped

9. Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 tsp

10. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

11. Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

12. Cumin powder - 1 tsp

13. Coriander powder - 1 tbsp

14. Garam masala powder - 1/2 tsp

15. Salt as required

16. Water for pressure cooking - 2 cups

Garnish and Side Compliments

1. Onion, finely chopped - 1/3 cup

2. Green chillies, finely chopped - 1 to 2

3. Coriander leaves, chopped - 1/3 cup

4. Lemon or Lime (medium sized) - 1

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Method:

Soaking and Cooking Kala Chana

1. Rinse black chickpeas with water a couple of times. Then soak the black chickpeas overnight or for 7 to 8 hours in enough water. Drain the water and keep the chickpeas aside.

Making Ghugni Recipe

• In a pressure cooker, heat 2 tablespoons mustard oil. Once the mustard oil begins to smoke, then lower the flame.

• Add ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 tej patta, 1 inch cinnamon and 2 cloves (optional). The oil will be hot and the spices will crackle in fraction of seconds.

• Then immediately add 1.3 cups finely chopped onions.

• Saute onions till they turn light brown.

• Next add ½ teaspoon ginger-garlic paste and saute till their raw aroma goes away.

• Next add 1 cup finely chopped tomatoes.

• Saute till the tomatoes turn mushy and you see oil releasing from the sides of the onion-tomato masala.

• Now add all the spice powders one by one - ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, ½ teaspoon red chilli powder, 1 teaspoon cumin powder and 1 tablespoon coriander powder. 

• Mix the spice powders very well with the onion-tomato base.

• Add the soaked kala chana and mix them very well with the masala.

• Now add 2 cups water.

• Season with salt and mix well.

• Pressure cook on medium flame for 15 to 20 minutes or till the chana is cooked. The time of cooking will vary on the quality of chana. In case the chana is not cooked, then continue to pressure cook for some more minutes.

• Once the pressure settles down on its own, remove the lid and keep the cooker on stove top. Simmer the ghugni gravy on a low to medium flame till it thickens slightly. Mash some chana pieces with the spoon as this helps in thickening the gravy.

• Once the ghugni gravy has thickened to a medium consistency, add ½ teaspoon garam masala powder and mix very well. Switch off the flame. 

• Serve kala chana ghugni garnished with some finely chopped onion, chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped green chilies and drizzled with some lemon juice. You can also accompany a simple mix of ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, 1 or 2 green chilies (chopped), ¼ cup coriander leaves and lemon wedges. Serve ghugni with chapatis, pooris or with steamed rice.