Delicious & Traditional Litti Chokha

While I was busy with my guests who stayed with us on weekend, I tried cooking delicious “Litti Chokha” a famous dish which has become a rage in maga cities. I admit that it was my third attempt and this time it came out so perfect !!!

Although ” Litti Chokha” is mainly eaten mainly in Bihar and Jharkhand states of India but it has achieved the status of one of the favorite dishes of young India. People can be seen enjoying the freshly baked litti with spicy chokha in food courts of various malls or near the street stalls.

Litti Chokha is a complete meal in itself that can be savoured anytime of the day. Basically Litti is baked thick wheat balls stuffed with sattu mixture. Sattu is gram flour which has high nutritious value. Lots of ingredients are added in it like chopped onions, minced garlic, Chopped green chillies and fresh coriander leaves along with salt to taste, red chili powder and few drops of lemon. It is then filled in balls made out of kneaded wheat flour.

Litties are baked on the coal or cow-dung and then dipped into pure ghee for few seconds before serving hot. You can have without ghee also. Here are some of my images of Litti.

Although litti looks similar in appearance as “baati” of Rajasthan fame “Dal Baati Churma”, another famous traditional meal of India but it is totally different in taste, texture and preparation than dal baati.

Dal (cereals ) is replaced with “chokha” made from roasted and mashed brinjal or mashed potatoes. Those who want to avoid brinjals and potato they can have it with mix veg chokha also.

I tried this wonderful recipie twice before but both the times I could not judge the temperature of coal and the littis were burnt. This time it was just right to bake.

Believe me it tastes SO good ! Chokha goes very well with hot and stuffed litti. Deadly combo ! All I can say that I was lucky third time to woo my guests with this preparation.

You can also try it at home. Generally I don’t share recipies on my blog but over a period of time many readers suggested me to share the recipies of traditional food of India therefore sharing it for those who want to give it a try. 

Ingredients (for 3-4 servings) 

For outer part of litti or bati

2 cups wheat flour

1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

2 tbsp refined oil

3/4 tsp salt

2 tbsp of ghee

For Filling

1 cup roasted gram (bhune chane) or sattu

4-5 cloves Garlic grated

1 medium size onion finely chopped

1“ peice Ginger grated

2 -3 Green chilies, finely chopped

½ cup coriander leaves finely chopped

½ tsp kalonji (onion seeds)

1 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)

1 tblslemon juice

2 stuffed red chilli picle (We will use only stuffing of chilly)

Salt to taste

For chokha or baigan ka bharta

2 medium sized boiled potatoes

1 big rounded brinjal (baingan)

3 medium sized tomatoes

4-5 garlic cloves (peeled)

2-4 finely chopped green chillies

1/2” peice of ginger grated

2 medium sized onionsfinely chopped

1 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)

1 tsp mustard oil

salt to taste

METHOD (How to make litti chokha）

Sieve the flour in big plate and add salt, ajwain seeds and oil

Knead the dough properly with water cover with a wet cloth and keep aside.

Dough is ready for litti now we will make filling for litti.

Grind rosted garm to powder (or we can use sattu)

Mix all the filling ingredients with roasted gram flour or sattu

Add ¼ cup water to make the stuffing moist.

Now make 10-12 balls from the kneaded dough. sprinckle some dry atta and make a patty roughly 2″ diameter in size with hand.

Now Stuff 2 spoon filling in the center of the patty and close it from all sides.

Fill all the littis from stuffing and keep aside.

Now Pre-heat the oven to 200 F and put all the litties on a baking tray and bake till one side is brown or black spots come on the litti surface. Then turn over the litti and bake for few more minutes until other side is brown as well.

Take out from the oven and dip in ghee serve withchokha or baigan ka bharta.

Note: To get the most authentic taste bake the litties on coal or cow-dung. It will taste heaven.

For Chokha

Boil the tomatoes and remove the skin and keep aside.

Make some hole on the brinjal and put garlic clove inside the brinjal and cook in the oven or roast on the gas stove on medium flame from both the sides untill it becomes soft.

Take a bowl of cold water and put the roasted brinjal in it.

Peel of the burnt skin of the brinjal.

Mash boiled potatoes, brinjal along with garlic and tomatoes together.

Add finely chopped onion, coriander leaves, grated ginger salt, green chillies and mustard oil.

Mix all the ingredients with hands properly.

Chokha is ready. If you want to avoid the taste of raw onions then you can saute them brown. Add boiled and chopped tomatoes. Then add other ingredients to prepare chokha. Recipie source: Khalchul.com

Serve with hot litti and have BLISS ! It will lift your spirits surely.