Luchi — Bengali Deep-Fried Puffed Bread
Small, puffed discs of deep-fried refined flour dough, the traditional festive breakfast bread of Bengal, always served with a vegetable curry like alur dom or chholar dal.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 20 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Servings
- 4
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Calories
- 280 kcal
Equipment
- •Kadai for deep frying
- •Rolling pin
Nutrition
Per serving, approximate
- Calories
- 280 kcal
- fat
- 15 g
- carbs
- 32 g
- fibre
- 1 g
- protein
- 5 g
- calories
- 280 kcal
Instructions
- 1
Mix the refined flour, salt, and ghee (clarified butter). Rub them together until the mixture looks like coarse breadcrumbs.
- 2
Add water gradually. Knead into a stiff, smooth dough.
- 3
Cover the dough with a damp cloth. Let it rest for 20 minutes.
- 4
Divide the dough into small, equal balls. Roll each ball into a thin, even round.
- 5
Heat oil in a kadai (deep curved pan) until hot but not smoking.
- 6
Slide one dough round into the hot oil. Gently press it with a slotted spoon so it puffs up.
- 7
Fry for a few seconds until fully puffed and lightly golden. Flip and fry the other side briefly.
- 8
Drain on paper. Serve immediately while still puffed and hot.
Chef's tips
Keep the dough stiff rather than soft, as a softer dough absorbs more oil and does not puff well. Maintain a steady, hot oil temperature throughout frying for consistent puffing.
Ingredient substitutions
- refined flour → whole wheat flour for a healthier version, though puffing will be less dramatic
Storage
Best eaten immediately; luchi deflates and turns chewy on storage.
Reheating
Not recommended for reheating; best consumed fresh.
Common mistakes to avoid
- •Rolling the dough too thick, which stops it from puffing properly.
- •Frying in oil that is not hot enough, which results in flat, greasy luchi (puffed bread).
Serving suggestions
Cooked Luchi — Bengali Deep-Fried Puffed Bread?
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