Illustrative stock photos, not this exact recipe. Photo credits are at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients in this recipe
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Litti chokha is the signature dish of Bihar and neighboring Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Litti are firm wheat-flour balls stuffed with a savory mix of sattu (roasted gram flour), garlic, ginger, green chilies and spices, traditionally baked over embers or cow-dung fuel and dipped in ghee. They are served with chokha, a rustic mash of roasted eggplant, tomato and potato seasoned with raw mustard oil. Bihari cooking is often described as rustic and earthy, built on sattu (roasted gram flour), mustard oil and simple spice mixes. Read more in Indian regional cuisines.
In a home kitchen the litti bake well in a hot oven, and the vegetables can be roasted over a gas flame or in the oven.
Recipe label: Based on traditional technique. Photo: illustrative stock photo, not the finished dish from this exact recipe. Regional recipes vary by family and village.
Photo credits: Photo 1: Tochukwu Ekeh on Pexels; Photo 2: Swastik Arora on Pexels; Photo 3: Mohammad Fahim on Pexels. Free stock photos, used under the Unsplash or Pexels license and shown here as illustrations only.
Litti Chokha (Baked Sattu-Stuffed Wheat Balls with Mashed Vegetables)
Description
Litti chokha: Bihar's best-known dish. Baked wheat balls stuffed with spiced roasted gram flour (sattu), served with smoky mashed eggplant, tomato and potato and plenty of ghee.Ingredients
For the litti dough
For the sattu filling
For the chokha
To serve
Instructions
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Mix the flour, ajwain, salt and melted ghee in a bowl until crumbly like breadcrumbs. Add water gradually and knead into a firm, smooth dough. Cover and rest for 20 minutes.
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For the filling, mix the sattu with the garlic, ginger, green chilies, onion, lemon juice, oil, ajwain and salt. Sprinkle in a spoonful of water if needed; it should hold together when pressed.
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Divide the dough into 10 to 12 balls. Flatten each, put a spoonful of filling in the center, gather the edges and seal tightly, then roll into a smooth ball.
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Preheat the oven to 200 C / 400 F. Place the litti on a lined tray and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once, until deeply golden and cracked on top.
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Meanwhile make the chokha. Prick the eggplant with a knife and roast it directly over a gas flame, turning with tongs, for 10 minutes until the skin is charred and the flesh is very soft. Roast the tomatoes the same way for 3 to 4 minutes. Handle with care, they are very hot.
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Peel the eggplant and tomatoes. Mash them together with the boiled potatoes. Stir in the garlic, green chilies, onion, coriander, mustard oil and salt.
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Press each hot litti gently to crack it open and dip it in ghee. Serve with the chokha.
