As I type in the first words of my latest attempt at blogging (I tend to laze and hibernate a lot in between posts), I hope this time I manage to be a regular, if esoteric, participant in the world of blogging. My main focus in this blog will be on documenting my home cooking,with regular snippets about Cinema,Books and occasional tidbits on the Calcutta Open Quizzing Circuit, as quizzing happens to be a strong passion of mine (curiosity is my birthright, or so I like to believe).
I will keep the opening post simple. Sunday night, I made luchi, which is a specialty of Bengal, a festive delicacy. The recipe follows -
LUCHI (deep-fried savoury bread)
[proudly showcasing a luchi that came out heart-shaped; talk about cooking from the heart :-)]
INGREDIENTS- (Serves 3-4)
All Purpose Flour (maida) - 2 cups
White Oil or Ghee for shortening - 1 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
White Oil for deep frying - 4 cups
PROCEDURE -
Add the shortening to the flour and mix till the flour gets crumbly in texture. Add salt and water to knead into a smooth dough. This will roughly take 8- 10 minutes by hand. Rest the dough for about half an hour in a covered vessel. Make 16-20 balls from the dough and roll out on a flat, clean surface with a lightly oiled rolling pin. The circles will be about 3 inches in diameter.Drop gently in a deep-frying vessel filled with hot oil. When the luchi puffs up to a light golden colour , turn carefully and fry on the other side. Each side will take approximately about 30 seconds to cook . Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb extra oil. Serve hot with your favourite Potato curry (examples here and here) or crispy fried vegetables like Potatoes/Eggplants or with Your favourite Kheer for a delicious dessert-style meal.
N.B - Across India, a similar deep fried bread called 'Puri' is made. It is however made of Atta, or Whole Wheat Flour and different regions use whole spices like Carrom (ajwain) or Nigella (kalonji) for a stronger flavour.
I will keep the opening post simple. Sunday night, I made luchi, which is a specialty of Bengal, a festive delicacy. The recipe follows -
LUCHI (deep-fried savoury bread)
[proudly showcasing a luchi that came out heart-shaped; talk about cooking from the heart :-)]
INGREDIENTS- (Serves 3-4)
All Purpose Flour (maida) - 2 cups
White Oil or Ghee for shortening - 1 tbsp
Salt - a pinch
White Oil for deep frying - 4 cups
PROCEDURE -
Add the shortening to the flour and mix till the flour gets crumbly in texture. Add salt and water to knead into a smooth dough. This will roughly take 8- 10 minutes by hand. Rest the dough for about half an hour in a covered vessel. Make 16-20 balls from the dough and roll out on a flat, clean surface with a lightly oiled rolling pin. The circles will be about 3 inches in diameter.Drop gently in a deep-frying vessel filled with hot oil. When the luchi puffs up to a light golden colour , turn carefully and fry on the other side. Each side will take approximately about 30 seconds to cook . Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb extra oil. Serve hot with your favourite Potato curry (examples here and here) or crispy fried vegetables like Potatoes/Eggplants or with Your favourite Kheer for a delicious dessert-style meal.
N.B - Across India, a similar deep fried bread called 'Puri' is made. It is however made of Atta, or Whole Wheat Flour and different regions use whole spices like Carrom (ajwain) or Nigella (kalonji) for a stronger flavour.
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