Bihari Cuisine: This Litti Chokha Recipe Spells Pure Indulgence

When one thinks about Bihar, “litti chokha”, a popular dish from the Bihar tradition, always pops up first in every mind. An authentic Bihari dish litti and chokha are famous all over India with its name itself and can be found simply at streets shops and restaurants. Litti has an enthusiastic traditional filling of sattu along with spices like ajwain and kalonji. It is served with Chokha made with mashed potatoes and can take it as a snack or whole meal. Here is the authentic homemade recipe of litthi and choka by Home-Chef Hiranyamayi Shivani, Co-Founder, The 'Chhaunk' with their traditional taste and love.

PREP TIME

• Litthi – 40 Minutes
• Brinjal & Potato Chokha – 15 Minutes

COOKING TIME

• Litti – 30 Minutes
• Brinjal & Potato Chokha – 20 Minutes

SERVINGS– 4/5 Person (5 Litti each)

INGREDIENTS WITH PROPER MEASUREMENTS

Litti- (For Dough)

1. Wheat Flour – 1000 gms
2. Mangraila – 1 tsp
3. Ajwain – 1 tsp
4. Salt – 4 tsp
5. Water – Half cup
6. Mustard Oil – 1 tsp

Litti –(For the filling)

1. Sattu – 500 gram
2. Sabut Garlic – 1 Pc
3. Green Chilli – 3/4 Pieces or as per spice preference
4. Ginger – 30 gram
5. Lemon – 1 big size
6. Mango pickle masala – 3 tsp
7. Mustard oil – 2 tsp
8. Ajwain – 1 tsp
9. Water – 1/4th cup
10. Salt – as per taste

Final Serving of Litti

Butter/Ghee – 20 grams

Brinjal & Potato Chokha-

1. Brinjal – 500 gram
2. Potato – 1000 gram
3. Tomato – 250 gram
4. Sabut Garlic – 1 Pc
5. Green Chilli – 4/5 Pcs or as per spice level.
6. Mustard oil – 2 tsp
7. Salt – as per taste

Litti

Prepare the dough

1. Mix Wheat Flour, Mangraila, Ajwain, Salt, and oil well. Sprinkle water slowly in small quantity only if required, and knead to a poori-like semi-soft dough.
2. Keep it aside for 30 minutes.

Prepare the filling for Litti

1. Mince garlic, green chilli, and ginger into tiny small pieces.
2. Mix Sattu, chopped garlic, green chilli, ginger, mango pickle masala, ajwain, and salt. 
3. Sprinkle lemon, mustard oil, and little water and mix thoroughly to get a moist, crumbly filling. Use water only if required.

Preparing final Litti balls

1. Knead the dough again and make 20 equal parts.
2. Make small balls with each part shape it with the help of fingers into a bowl shape of a uniform thickness of 3 mm. You can also make it by making like with the help of belan.
3. Fill 2-3 tsp of prepared filling and form the Litti balls by closing its mouth and making near round balls.
4. Please fill all the litthi and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Final cooking of Litti

1. Preheat Tandoor/Woven for 5-8 minutes.
2. Place the litthi balls directly on coal when the coal is covered with ash. If not comfortable making directly on coal, you can keep a net plate on coal and keep litthi on that and keep turning it all sides for 7-10 minutes till it is cooked well. You need to keep turning it to cook properly. Otherwise, it will be overcooked or will burn from the sides.
3. Please take off the baked litthi and dip it in a bowl filled with ghee. Please keep it for 2/3 minutes so that the litthi observe ghee inside.

Chokha

1. Roast brinjals, tomato, and potatoes on coal or oven will turn completely soft.
2. Peel the burnt skin from roasted brinjals, tomato, and potato.
3. Mince garlic and green chilli in small pieces.
4. Mash roasted brinjal, tomato, potato, minced garlic, green chilli.
5. Sprinkle mustard oil and salt as per taste and mash it well till it becomes without any knot.

Tips to Serve

1. While serving, press the litthi from the top with the thumb and break it unevenly.
2. Pour 1-2 tsp ghee into each broken litti and serve hot with chokha.
3. Lauki raitas and mutton curry are also an excellent combination to try with litti chokha.
4. Traditionally Litthi's are made in cow-dung fire. But you make them in electric tandoor also with excellent results.