The food is traditionally made with sourdough, and an addition of millet makes it even more digestible. (Photo: Shalini Rajani) People are celebrating Maha Shivratri today in their own beautiful ways. In my in-laws’ village in Himachal Pradesh, the festival is highly valued. I remember how 10 years ago, a portion of kneaded wheat dough was saved to be added to a bigger batch of wheat flour to make fermented savouries like traditional luchi, siddus, bhaturus, etc., the next day.
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Sadly, things are changing now. In the metro cities, people are waking up to indigenous slow-food methods, but those living in villages are being lured by commercial yeasts, baking powders and quick-fix ideas to make traditional meals.
It’s time to introduce logic and science to our ancient wisdom. Be it millets (our traditional grains) or cooking techniques, slow fermentation, natural yeasts, or more, we need to bring them all in a way that the next generation embraces them with conviction and not compulsion.
Today’s recipe is close to my heart. I enjoy making it authentically with sourdough, and an addition of millet makes it even more digestible and soothing for the gut. Read more for the step-by-step process.
SOURDOUGH FERMENTED HIMACHALI LUCHI
Ingredients (makes 12 luchis):
For the dough:
· 3 cups khapli wheat flour
· 1 cup jowar flour
· ½ cup sourdough discard
· Lukewarm water to knead
For the stuffing:
· ½ cup finely-chopped green garlic
· ½ cup finely chopped fresh coriander and mint leaves
· 2 medium boiled potatoes
· ½ tsp shahi garam masala powder
· 1 tsp coriander powder
· ½ tsp red chilli powder
· Rock salt to taste
To fry: Cold-pressed mustard oil
Method:
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1. In a deep bowl, mix all dough ingredients and allow it to slow ferment for a good 5-6 hours or till the dough doubles up. The fermentation depends on the temperature of the kitchen. In winters, it may take much longer. In summers, the sourdough fermented dough doubles up even in 3 hours.
2. Refer to the video shared. Make stuffing with boiled potatoes. Authentically, for Himachali luchis, stuffing is also made with walnuts, poppy seeds and even kachalu (colocasia). It is because of the availability of these locally-grown ingredients. You can always improvise.
3. Luchis are rolled with palms and it takes a few attempts to help you get there. Just in case you are not able to roll as shown in the video, you can gently use a rolling pin and make a decent puri-sized luchi.
4. Deep-fry in a preheated cold-pressed mustard oil. You can use oil easily available in your region.
5. Serve hot with apricot dip or any dip of your choice. Luchi is often enjoyed with a hot cup of chai, and chutney is not mandatory. But if you want to learn apricot chutney, you can check it out here.
Please note:
If you know how to make sourdough starter, you can have enough discard to make sourdough fermented breads. For sourdough starter, mix equal quantities of organic flour (can be wheat or millet flour) with water. Allow it to ferment and once it starts smelling fermented, feed it by discarding half in a separate bottle. This method allows the microbes to grow stronger.
Continue this practice till the starter is well fermented, bubbly and active. The discard collected with every feed makes for amazing sourdough crackers, siddus, dosas, cakes, brownies and more. I have shared many recipes with the discard; you can check them all.
Health benefits
Adding freshly-ground millet flour to luchis not only elevates the taste and texture, but also makes it soothing for the gut. The high fibre of sorghum millet and khapli wheat, low glycemic index and loads of antioxidants make this delicacy a good option for diabetics.
Remember to not exceed the portions, and anything (even if fried) enjoyed in moderation is a good deal on not compromising on your health.
(Shalini Rajani is the founder of Crazy Kadchi and holds innovative Millets Cooking Workshops and Sourdough Baking Workshops for all age groups.)
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