Bengali Luchi

The লুচি রেসিপি (Bengali luchi recipe) in the Bengali traditional style is similar to a poori recipe however the dough is made with all-purpose flour or maida. Ideally, the luchi bread is deep-fried in ghee or clarified butter, is white, and has a melts-in-the-mouth texture.

Popularly known as ‘Luchi’, it is usually made on special occasions where it is served with Bengali Mutton Kosha Mangsho, or sometimes with Bengali niramish recipes like Chana Dal or Bengali Cholar Dal or Potato Curry or Niramish Aloo Dum.

In this post, I will tell you how we Bengalis make perfectly puffed-up luchis at home regularly. Plus why is it so special and what makes it different from regular pooris or other deep-fried Indian flatbreads?

Bengali Luchi

Luchi ingredients

  • All-purpose Flour or Maida – you can use 50% Maida and 50% whole wheat flour or atta for a healthier version
  • Ghee or Clarified Butter – alternate is any neutral oil like Sunflower Oil, etc.
  • Salt
  • Water

Bengali Luchi recipe instructions

  • Take the flour in a mixing bowl and mix the salt in it.
  • Now, add the 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil and rub it in.
  • Make a well at the center and add water. Start kneading the dough.
  • Once it comes together nicely and becomes smooth, divide it into 15 equal portions
  • Heat the ghee or oil for frying the luchis. Meanwhile, roll the dough balls into thin discs. It should be as thin as wonton wraps.
  • Start frying once you have 5 luchis rolled out. Cover the rest of the dough with a damp cloth
  • Repeat the process till you have all the luchis ready. Serve hot.

Top tips to make perfectly puffed-up Luchis, every time

These luchis recipe tips would give you perfectly puffed or phulko luchi every time. The secret lies in the dough! Unlike roti or chapati dough, luchi bread dough is tighter and more elastic. A 100% maida dough will be very soft and supple. Hence, very stretchy. On the other hand, a dough of atta-maida mix will be less glutinous and thus, easier to handle.

Here are some important points to remember before you set off to make luchi:

  • It is the maida or all-purpose flour that makes them white and crispy
  • Here, rubbing of fat into the flour is an important step. So add ghee (clarified butter) or refined oil to the flour and rub properly till it holds shape when pressed into a fist. This makes the luchi flaky and crispy
  • The dough has to be tight and smooth
  • Roll the luchis into thin discs, as thin as you can roll
  • Roll them as big as you can because they will shrink by 25% once they hit the hot oil.
  • The temperature of ghee or oil for frying is very crucial. It has to be medium-low. Once you start frying the luchis, turn it low so that they don’t get brown before puffing up
  • Serve immediately

Serving suggestions

I have an entirely separate blog post on this where I have discussed all the popular side dishes that are served with Luchis, including some of the popular combinations of the niramish ranna menu. You can read about these luchi side dish combos in one place.

Luchi is like therapy to Bengalis. The star of a million celebratory festive menus, the perfect couple to ‘Kosha Mangsho‘, the makeshift after-meal dessert with Sugar, or the next morning’s breakfast with a cup of cha!

Oh! How can I forget the post-biyebari (Bengali post-wedding) must-have breakfast of Luchi & Rosogolla’r Ros (sugar syrup)? Luchi and Ghugni is another great combo, often preferred for breakfasts. I know some of them sound unusual and outright weird, but they are quite popular among Bengalis.

It is an indulgence by most standards. It is made with refined flour or maida and deep-fried in ghee (preferably!). I know this sounds unhealthy, but luchis aren’t meant to be eaten regularly. It is an indulgence by all accounts.

Luchi & other Indian flatbreads. Difference between Luchi & Poori

There is a wide range of flatbreads in Indian cuisine as wheat is a staple in our diet. Among these, there are different types of deep-fried flatbreads, such as pooris, kachoris, and parathas.

Pooris are made using atta or whole wheat flour. They can be flavored to add some variation to them, such as Masala Poori.

Bhaturey, on the other hand, is made with maida and yogurt and has a slightly tangy flavor to it.

Kachoris have stuffing in them. It can spiced matar filling for matar kachori or dal for a dal kachori. They are deep fried whereas parathas are cooked on tawa or a griddle.

Luchis, as you must have noticed by now, are made using maida. The luchi dough is made by kneading with a drizzle of oil, salt, and water. It has a unique texture and feel to it. They are rolled thin and lightly fried to get puffy, white, and melt-in-mouth luchis.

More Indian flatbread recipes from my blog

Easy paratha recipes

Indian kachori recipes

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How to make perfect Bengali Luchi
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

Bengali Luchi bread is a deep fried poori made using maida. It is crispy, melt-in-mouth and is served with Mutton Kosha, Bengali Aloo Dum or Cholar Dal.

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Bengali
Keyword: Bengali Food, Flatbread Recipe, Indian Breads, Luchi Recipe
Servings: 15 Luchis
Calories: 121 kcal
Author: Priyanka
Ingredients
  • 2 cups All-purpose Flour
  • 2 tbsp Ghee or Refined Oil
  • ½ cup Water
  • ½ tsp Salt
  • Ghee or Refined Oil to fry
Instructions
  1. Take the flour in a mixing bowl and mix the salt in it.

  2. Now, add the 2 tablespoons of ghee or oil and rub it in.

  3. Make a well at the centre and add water. Start kneading the dough.

  4. Once it comes together nicely and becomes smooth, divide it into 15 equal portions

  5. Heat the ghee or oil for frying the luchis. Meanwhile, roll the dough balls into thin discs. It should be as thin as wonton wraps.

  6. Start frying once you have 5 luchis rolled out. Cover the rest of the dough with a damp cloth

  7. Repeat the process till you have all the luchis ready. Serve hot.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes

Bengali Luchi

Assuming that approximately 1/2 cup of Ghee or Clarified Butter was used up in the making of these 15 luchis. 

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Indian Food Blogger Priyanka Bhattacharya

Hi! I’m Priyanka!

A passionate home cook and food lover who loves nothing more than sharing my favourite recipes with the world.


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