Khub Bhalo

Passport & Plate - Luchi Cholar Daal

India | Friday, March 14, 2014 | 2 photos

Ingredients
For the Luchi
2 cups of Maida (all purpose flour)
1 spoon vegetable/olive oil
a pinch of salt to taste
1/2 a liter of oil (for frying)

For the Cholar Daal
2 cups of Cholar Daal (Bengal Gram -lentil)
1 tablespoon freshly ground ginger (paste)
1 table spoon freshly ground black cumin (paste)
1 tea spoon of green chilli paste
1 table spoon of turmeric
2 tablespoon of clarified butter (ghee)
2 tablespoon of desiccated coconut (for garnishing)
Salt for taste
Sugar for taste

 

How to prepare this recipe
For the luchi, we first have to take the flour, add the oil and mix it evenly. Then add some water in this coarse ingredient and knead it into a fine dough. Let the dough sit for 20 minutes. Then flatter this dough with a roller pin and cut roundies with a cookie cutter. Keep these roundies aside. Take a deep bottom wok where these roundies can be deep fried. Add the oil (for frying) and heat just before it starts smoking. Put these roundies, one by one and using a metal spoon fry them till they puff up.

For the Cholar daal, first pressure cook the daal (lentil) with two whistles. Leave it aside. In a deep bottom wok take ghee and add all the pastes,turmeric with a bit of salt and then sugar and saute with a little water. When the mixture is a bit liquefied, add the daal in the mixture. Mix well with a long wooden spatula. Cover the daal. After cooking for about 5-8 minutes in low heat and turn off the gas. Pour the daal in a bowl and garnish with desiccated coconut.
On a serving plate, take two luchi and in a small serving bowl pour a small serving of the daal. The dish is now ready!

 

The story behind this recipe
“Mam Mamm luchiii,” and I’m left aghast. I run from the kitchen to hear my two year old shriek. And entering the dining area I’m left surprised!!! I come and find my little one’s little shapely and chubby fingers trying to make a hole through this puffed up bread called luchi. And I realize hereby that being a foodie’s daughter, my little girl has also picked up luchi as her favorite food! What’s more, she has started speaking…uttering a correct sentence at one go!
I’m startled and delighted….if food is for thought, then food is for unconditional love, tradition and of course genes. Even though this special moment has passed by and every time this dish called ‘luchi-cholar daal’ is being cooked, it excites my little one. My mom- a grandmom now- is delighted…what has been her childhood favorite food ever since they had migrated during the Indian independence in 1947 from erstwhile eastern Pakistan is now the favorite food of her grand daughter!
Well, for all across the world who are yet to have a taste and smell of this dish called Luchi-Cholar Daal (puffed up flat cake bread and spiced lentil)is a very common dish has been a traditional favorite in this eastern part of India. It is a traditional Bengali dish which is not only simple but it is unique and wholesome... It has been a dish adorning the plates and taste buds of Bengalis ever since the inception of the race and is immensely popular both amongst the rich and poor! Digging across nostalgia, my Mom tells me this dish had been cooked in their wedding and to top it this entire dish is also a favorite of the Gods! Luchi-Cholar Daal is also served as an offering to Goddess Laxmi (Goddess of Wealth and Fortune) by the Bengali community here in this eastern part of India and also across Bangladesh even today!!!
Given the divinity of this dish, foodie folks across the globe should have chance to lick their fingers in delight after having this dish and it is simply for this reason, I presume I’m all jet set for my Al-Italia flight!