I was quite excited about my 3 day work trip to Barrackpore along with my sister. My excitement was due to the fact I was visiting barrackpore, a place where my mother took me as a 3 month old baby to join my father, an air force officer who was posted there. That was a short stay as the Indo – China war broke out and my father had to leave. My mother and I had to return to Madras. Though there was no nostalgia involved I was happy that I was going to spend 3 full days with my sister in a small town which I had visited as a baby. Our accommodation was adjacent to the Hooghly River, fondly called as “ganga” by the local people. All meals during the stay was served and eaten on the banks of the river which was an unforgettable experience. The stay was wonderful and so was the food. Mustard oil was the prime medium of cooking. Viscous and fragrant oil, it gave the Bengali cuisine a typical flavor. Rosgollas, hot and fresh was divine. Rasmalai was a version that I had never tasted before… Soft, crumbly cottage cheese floating in thickened milk. What caught my eye and of course my taste buds were that flavoring spices were not added to the sweets. Luchi, The typical Bengali puri was out of the world.
“Luchi is similar to a puri but the difference arises with the base ingredient and the cooking time. Luchis are prepared using refined wheat flour or Maida Ghee or mustard oil is added while making the dough. The luchis are lightly fried in mustard oil and are creamy white in color. Though luchi is typical of Bengali cuisine,It finds its place in Assamese and Oriya cuisines too.
- Refined wheat flour – 1 CUP
- Oil for frying (mustard or refined oil)
- Salt a pinch
- Sugar – 1 TSP
- Warm water to knead the dough
Take the refined wheat flour and add a teaspoon of sugar, salt to taste and a little oil. Mix well and bind to a stiff dough with warm water. Immediately roll into discs and deep fry in oil. Best when eaten hot .
