Litti Chokha

by Shaheen Ali

Winters have gone but my love for some authentic winter delicacies will never fade away. One such love is the Bihari Litti Chokha!

Ever since i visited one hawker at my city who seels some mouth watering Litti Chokha i had been wanting to make this at home. The hawker use to sell two littis with baigan and aloo chokha along with an awesome tomato garlic chutney with some salads as well for 30 Rs. Isn’t it too cheap? Well i say this today because after making it today at my home, i realized how much labour it takes to brings this amazingly delicious dish.


What is Litti ???

Litti is a snack food found in India’s Bihar state and Nepalese state of Madhesh; it consists of wheat and sattu (powdered gram or lentil) formed into balls with spices, and then filled with ghee (clarified butter) via a hole. Although very often confused with the closely related Baati, it is a completely different dish in terms of taste, texture and preparation. It may be eaten with yogurt, baigan bharta, alu bharta, and papad. The litti are traditionally baked over a cow-dung fire, but in the modern day a wok of boiling oil may be used.

Spices used to flavour the litti include ajwain, mangrail, garlic, red pepper, mustard oil, salt, and ginger.[5] Tasty pickles can also be used to add spice flavour. In western Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh litti is served with murgh korma (a creamy chicken curry) andchokha (a vegetable preparation of roasted and mashed eggplant, tomato, and potato)

[Source – Wikipedia]

I tried replicating the Litti Chokha i had in a stall few days back. I even shared that picture on Facebook and since then i got a lot of requests from my readers to make Litti Chokha and post it in my blog. So keeping all the requests and ofcource my love for the cuisine in mind i am finely here with the Bihari Delicay – Litti Chokha which i have served with Baigan Bharta/Chokha, Aloo Bharta/Chokha, some onion salad and a super delicious tomato garlic chutney.

Recipe detailed below ….

Print Recipe
LITTI CHOKHA
Course main course
Cuisine bihari
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
Servings
piece
Ingredients
For Litti -
For filling ( Pitti ) :
  • 1.5 cups Sattu
  • 1 tsp ginger grated
  • 1/2 tsp garlic minced
  • 2 tbsps coriander chopped
  • 1/2 tsp seeds ajwain carom /
  • 1/2 tsp onion seeds / kalongi
  • 2 tbsps pickled spices or any left over pickle masala
For aloo chokha :
For baigan bharta :
For tomato & garlic chutney :
Course main course
Cuisine bihari
Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 60 minutes
Servings
piece
Ingredients
For Litti -
For filling ( Pitti ) :
  • 1.5 cups Sattu
  • 1 tsp ginger grated
  • 1/2 tsp garlic minced
  • 2 tbsps coriander chopped
  • 1/2 tsp seeds ajwain carom /
  • 1/2 tsp onion seeds / kalongi
  • 2 tbsps pickled spices or any left over pickle masala
For aloo chokha :
For baigan bharta :
For tomato & garlic chutney :
Instructions
How to prepare dough for Litti -
  1. Sieve flour , baking soda in a large bowl. Add ajwain , salt and oil and mix everything nicely.
  2. Add warm water slowly and knead to make a soft dough.
  3. Cover the dough with a muslin cloth and keep aside for 20 mins
How to prepare filling / Pitti -
  1. In a large bowl, mix sattu with ajwain, kalongi, pickle spices, mustard oil, grated ginger, garlic, green chilies, coriander, salt and lemon juice.
  2. Mix well till everything incorporates with each other nicely.
  3. If you find the mix too dry, gradually add water and mix again to form a lumpy mix.
  4. Keep aside in a dry place.
How to prepare baked Litti -
  1. Take the rested dough on a flat counter and knead again for 5 mins.
  2. Pinch a lemon sized ball from the dough and roll it like poori.
  3. Hold the poori between your palm and fill 1-2 tbsp of pitti / sattu filling.
  4. Gather the sides of the poori and bring them together on top and seal the ball.
  5. Press the ball gently to flatten it.
  6. Make similar litti balls.
  7. Line a baking tray with aluminium foil and place the littis on it at equal distance.
  8. Pre heat the oven at 180 degree C and place the tray on the middle rack and bake the littis till golden in color. Different ovens have different heating time, mine took around 20 mins to turn brown. So keep checking yours.
  9. Once the Littis are baked nicely , take out the tray and let them cool on a wire rack.
  10. You may now store them in an air tight jar and deep fry them in ghee before serving.
How to make Aloo Chokha -
  1. In a large bowl, add boiled and mashed potatoes along with chopped onion, green chilies, coriander, red chili powder, salt and mustard oil.
  2. Mix all together nicely either with a spatula or with your hands.
  3. Aloo Chokha is ready to serve.
How to make Baigan Chokha -
  1. Roast, peel and mash brinjal and keep it aside in a bowl.
  2. Take blanched tomatoes, peel them and mash them with a fork and add to the brinjal.
  3. Add chopped onion, green chilies, coriander, grated ginger, mustard oil and salt. Mix all together with a fork or spoon.
  4. Baigan chokha is ready to serve,
How to make Garlic & Tomato Chutney -
  1. Take all the ingredients except salt and water mentioned in the list above and grind them to make a find chutney.
  2. If you find the chutney to be too thick, then add water as per your requirement.
  3. Adjust salt according to taste and give a quick stir.
  4. Tomato & Gralic chutney is ready to serve.
Recipe Notes

Litti chokha is served hot with tomato garlic chutney and some onion salad to go with it. 

Serving Suggestions :

You can bake littis and store it in an air tight container and whenever you want to serve them, just take out the littis, fry them in hot ghee from both sides and serve with aloo chokha, baigan chokha and tomato garlic chutney. 

If you like this recipe or the pictures , please drop in your valuable feedback in comments below. I would be pleased to read your comments. You may also log in to me facebook page at Spoon Fork And Food

Thanks for stopping by!

Love : Shaheen

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