Lachuch לחוח: A Yemenite Spongy Bread/Yeast & Hilbe (Fenugreek) Pancake

As I promised in my Shuk (Market) HaCarmel Tour post, I am sharing a recipe Irit taught me while we were at her little restaurant at the market. I volunteered Inbal of Delicious Israel as our model as I was snapping the images. Isn't she perfect?! 

Little did I know as I mentioned in my previous post that fenugreek has fermenting traits. Furthermore I didn't have a clue fenugreek is used in this Yemenite spongy yeasted bread/pancake, called lachuch (lachooch). I think it is Irit's little twist. 

Lachuch is similar to the Ethiopian injera but I believe injera is made with teff flour. Some say similar to the Indian Appam which I believe is made of rice flour. 

As Irit does not really measure the ingredients I made lachuch today at home back in the US. I photographed it per Irit's serving suggestion but the photograph had such a different feel to it than the ones I snapped in Israel that I decided against including it. You can view it on Food Wanderings' Facebook page here

My suggestion is, use a light well seasoned frying pan but not a cast iron heavy skillet. I did and regretted it. This batter is a tad different and the heavy pan was making it challenging to manipulate it. Read the instructions. I hope you will find some interesting tips here, as I did.
Sift 1/2 kg (1.102 lbs) flour first. Add  1 tablespoon yeast (approximately 1 1/2 active dry yeast packets, 1/4 oz packets each), 1/4-1/2 teaspoon hilbe (fenugreek powder) or according to taste (fenugreek has fermenting trait in addition to the yeast) and....
...add water a cup at a time. Mix batter after each cup of water is added. Mix in the same direction, decide clockwise or counter clockwise, this is one of Irit's tips.
Gauge how much water to add as you go along, approximately 4 cups of water in total.  You need to reach this pancake batter consistency. Sprinkle 1/4-1/2 teaspoon on top of the batter without mixing. Cover with a kitchen towel and let the batter rise for an hour.
Do not let batter rise beyond an hour. The dough will sour. That is another one of Irit's wise and knowledgeable tips. We were a tad late heading back so she deflated the batter and let it rise a second rise for about 10-20 minutes longer. The batter has to have some rise to it, see below, otherwise it won't have those air bubble holes that are so emblematic to the lachuch.
Ok this is where it is getting tricky as cool as Irit's method is I won't recommend to use it at home. She heats up a lot of vegetable oil in the pan and empties it out into another dish when it gets hot. Pours the batter into the pan and swirls a bit while holding the pan's handle, and cooks uncovered on medium for about 4-5 minutes. Take out and fold into half on a plate. Adjust heat if needed as each stove is different. First pancake, like any other pancake, won't be perfect.
Next, this is the part I won't recommend, just before she pours the batter into the pan to make the next pancake, she turns the pan while holding the handle upside down and runs cold water from the faucet on it. The pan will sizzle. I skip that step. Then she turns it back to right side and puts it back on a medium heat stove. Adds a bit of oil. You can brush oil on. Make sure the brush bristles aren't plastic. Pour some batter and repeat process until all batter is gone.
See how pretty these air bubbles are.
You can make the entire batch and reheat. While traditionally served with stews and soups, Irit suggested crack a couple of eggs on one half, fold the pancake over the eggs, cover with a lid and let cook for few minutes based on how you like your eggs done and serve with grated tomato, I like roma, mixed a bit with Yemenite green or red schug. Schug is the Yemenite Harissa. You can substitute it with harissa if you wish. Photo of the egg version you can find on Food Wanderings' FB page.
Another suggestion was to serve this pancake with a chocolate spread.
If you look in the background, you will see the lachuch. That is what Jonathan had with the shakshuka Irit made for him. Read the previous post for background.
Irit not only squeezed orange juice but she also made us some fresh lemonade.
\
Other posts in the Israel Travel Series:
Capitolina's Indian Kulfi Ice Cream

For your personalized culinary tours contact:
Inbal Baum
Delicious Israel
Abroad: +972 525 699 499
In Israel: 0525 699 499

23 comments:

  1. Wow, this seems like such a fun thing to watch make. Her putting the pan under running water definitely seems a little dangerous to me! Ha! Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh my goodness... my arms hurt just from watching her hold that pan. She was a trooper :-)

    Serving some shakshuka with it... well, that's just pure yumminess to me. Wish I was in Israel right now to devour some of this ;-)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. ahahaha yeah the way I had Inbal hold the pan was awkward. Good thing she is in shape! :)

      Delete
  3. That yeasty flatbread/crepe looks amazing! Perfect with honey and butter or shakshuka. Thanks for sharing.

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Honey. Haven't thought of it but sounds fantastic!

      Delete
  4. This crepe looks really good, Shulie! I'll take mine with a smear of butter! Thanks for sharing all the tips and tricks! Great recipe from Irit!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I know, right?! It's amazing to constantly learn! :)

      Delete
  5. What an interesting batter, and her process is quite interesting too. They look really delicious, I love all the bubbles on the top of the pancake:-) I have never heard of lachuch, thank you for sharing! Hugs, Terra

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. My pleasure Terra. I know, the bubbles on top are fun.:)

      Delete
  6. the first thing that hit me when i saw the image was "appam". i've not heard of lachuch - new to me, love the bubbles :-) i usually eat appam with coconut milk (flavored with cardamom & sugar) or kurma for breakfast. a separate kadai with lid is available to make appam , quite useful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't blame you Shruti, they look so similar! :) Funny the bubbles will appear different at different stages of the dough/ An entire post could be written about it. :) I am drooling at your Appam meals.

      Delete
  7. Irit is lovely and I really like the shots of her making the lachuch. I bet the flavor is incredible from the yeast. This looks like a meal I'd love for breakfast or lunch or a snack any day.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's funny Irit's advise on the yeast and dough souring was right on. It had a subtle yeast but not strong flavor. Was surprisingly delicate.

      Delete
    2. BTW funny you should say it I had it for breakfast and lunch when I made it here in the US:)

      Delete
  8. I am not sure if you ever had Appam. It's a south Indian flat bread something like a crepe. This recipe reminded me of that. I would love that with a spicy chicken curry :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Kankana, I know, right?! Mentioned the Appam in my post, see above. Ooh spicy chicken curry sounds good!

      Delete
  9. I cannot even imagine what these taste like, but just looking at your photos is making me hungry! Thanks for sharing more of your adventures with us, Shulie :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am happy you are enjoying my adventures Liz & am just as hungry as I have to make everything from scratch now back at home in the US.:)

      Delete
  10. Wow, these crepes look incredible! I am craving these after seeing the post. I wish I could try it.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Again I am astounded by the similarity! so much like appam as you mentioned and that shakshuka looks just like the motta(egg) roast which is served alongside appams as a common breakfast staple among the syrian christian community in south India!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Incredible, just incredible, the similarities Rose. Thanks for sharing the food traditions and learning how much they overlap. Love having you drop by!

      Delete