Litti Chokha

Litti chokha is the signature dish of Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, once a travellers' meal because it keeps well and needs no utensils to cook. It is said that soldiers and farmers baked littis in the embers of cow-dung fires, and today the street vendors of Patna still roast them over coal in wide clay ovens.

The litti is a ball of whole wheat dough stuffed with sattu, roasted gram flour, mixed with mustard oil, garlic, ginger, ajwain, lemon, green chillies and the sour tang of pickle masala. Roasted until the crust is firm and slightly charred, it is cracked and dipped in ghee. Chokha is the smoky accompaniment: fire-roasted brinjal, tomato and boiled potato mashed with raw mustard oil, garlic and onion.

It is eaten for lunch or dinner, at festivals and picnics, and has become popular across North India. The pungency of raw mustard oil is essential to both parts. An oven gives good results at home, though nothing quite matches the smoky flavour of coal-roasted littis. The chokha can be made while the littis bake, so both are ready together and can be served piping hot.

At a glance

Region	Bihar
Cuisine	Bihari
Diet	Vegetarian
Course	Main course
Prep time	40 minutes
Cook time	45 minutes
Total time	85 minutes
Serves	4
Spice level	Hot
Difficulty	Medium
Gluten-free	No
Key ingredients	whole wheat flour / sattu / brinjal / tomato / mustard oil

Ingredients

For the litti dough

• 2 cups whole wheat atta
• 1/2 tsp ajwain
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ghee
• About 3/4 cup water

For the sattu filling

• 1 1/2 cups chana sattu
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 inch ginger, grated
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ajwain
• 1/2 tsp kalonji (nigella)
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp achar masala from mango pickle
• 3 tbsp chopped coriander
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 2 to 3 tbsp water

For the chokha

• 1 large brinjal (about 400 g)
• 3 tomatoes
• 2 potatoes, boiled and peeled
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 green chillies, chopped
• 2 tbsp raw mustard oil
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander
• Salt to taste

To serve

• 1/2 cup melted ghee

Method

1. Knead atta, ajwain, salt, ghee and water into a stiff, smooth dough. Rest 20 minutes.
2. Mix all filling ingredients, adding water a spoon at a time until the sattu holds together when pressed but is still crumbly.
3. Divide the dough into 10 balls. Flatten each into a cup, fill with 2 tbsp sattu, seal and roll into a smooth ball.
4. Bake on coals or in an oven preheated to 200 C for 30 to 35 minutes, turning every 10 minutes, until the littis are firm, golden-brown and sound hollow when tapped. A gas tandoor or appe pan on low heat also works.
5. For the chokha, rub the brinjal and tomatoes with a little oil and roast directly on a gas flame, turning often, until charred all over – about 12 minutes for the brinjal, 5 for the tomatoes. Cover to steam, then peel.
6. Mash the brinjal, tomatoes and potatoes together. Mix in onion, garlic, green chillies, raw mustard oil, coriander and salt.
7. Crack each hot litti slightly with your fingers and dip it in or brush generously with melted ghee. Serve with chokha.

Tips

• Raw mustard oil in both the filling and the chokha gives the authentic pungency; do not cook it.
• If the sattu filling is too dry, the litti will taste dusty; it should clump when squeezed.
• Achar masala from the pickle jar adds the characteristic tang – use a little oil from the pickle too.

Serve with

Baingan-tomato chokha, green chutney and ghee.