Litti Chokha is a globally famous delicacy of Bihar . The flavours represent the earthiness of Bihar and you can find it at road side food stalls and even in 5* star restaurants. Let’s have a tour on the beloved regional dish Litti Chokha.
I belong to Bihar. Bihar is very famous for their culture and traditions.When it comes to food, mouth watering liiti chokha is enough to make your day. The recipe which I am writing here is the same which I have learnt from my grand mother. She was preparing this for their daily agriculture workers or farmers.
Litti is round in shape made of whole wheat flour, stuffed with sattu (powder made out of roasted black chana), herbs and spices and baked over coal or cow dung cakes and then dipped in desi ghee. Chokha is a preparation of roasted baingan (Brinjal), tomatoes,onion,garlic ,chilies and spices .
Earlier sattu was eaten by farmers and hard working people because it was fairly low in cost and had cooling properties. It was helping them to keep energetic throughout the day in hot weather. In my childhood I have seen a lot of travelers having a bag full of litti while travelling because it could stay fresh for as long as two to three days.
Litti Chokha is a healthy option. Sattu is great for the intestines,high in nutrients,helps in skin glowing and hydrated. The recipe itself does not have too much cooking oil added to it. Both are either roasted or baked. Yes desi ghee is used for dipping but pure desi ghee comes with its own set of health benefits unlike refined oils. Chokha is made with eggplant which is a brilliant source of dietary fiber, vitamins, and manganese.
Prep: 35 mins
Cook: 30 mins
Level: Easy
For dough
Filling Preparation
Method
- Preheat the oven at 200°C
- For dough, Mix the flour with salt, milk and water to make a stiff dough.
- Cover and leave to rest for at least 15-20 minutes.
- Mix all the filling ingredients together and keep aside.
- Make about 20 smooth balls from the dough.Roll into 1/4″ thick rounds. Pinch edge all around and wet.
- Place a ball of the filling in the center, and bring the wet edges together, covering the filling completely.
7. Press together to seal. Roll between palms to make it smooth.
8. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, then lower the oven temperature and bake another 20-25 minutes, till brown and cooked through. If you are cooking on gas keep iron rod on gas range for roasting. Use tong for turn occasionally.
For Chokha
Method
- Insert the garlic cloves inside the brinjal. Rubbed the mustard oil on brinjal and tomato. Bake in the oven/gas till it cooks properly.
- Remove the skin of brinjal,tomatoes and deseed it.
- Use a knife to mash the brinjal and tomatoes with garlic.
- Add onion, chillies, ginger, lemon juice , coriander leaves ,mustard oil and salt in the mixture. Adjust seasoning.
- Dipped the litti in melted ghee.
- Serve hot litti on a plate with chokha. Garnish with lemon and fresh coriander leaves.