Fuchka

Masuma Mollika Miti’s fuchka contribution to the UC Berkeley International House cookbook presents a Bangladesh street snack made through three preparations: small round puri, tamarind sauce and a white-pea-and-potato filling.

Her account describes sweet, sour and spicy tastes in these small snacks, shared at street carts and family gatherings. The selected sauce combines tamarind with salts, sugar, lime juice and ready roasted ground spices.

Semolina and all-purpose flour are mixed by hand, with water added gradually during kneading. The elastic dough rests under a moist cloth, then is kneaded again, rolled thin and cut into small rounds that puff and turn golden during cooking.

Tamarind pulp is boiled with part of the sauce water and strained. The remaining water, salt, black salt, coriander, red chilli, cumin, sugar and lime juice are mixed into that same sauce.

The filling combines ready boiled white peas and potatoes with chopped red onion, green chilli, coriander, the separate roasted ground spices, salt and lime juice. A portion of the same tamarind sauce is mixed through it.