Litti Chokha" is a unique dish among the diversity of Indian cuisine. It is a renowned dish from Bihar that offers a distinct and delightful taste experience. It consists of "litti" (wheat flour dumplings) and its companion "chokha" (mashed vegetables), creating a complete and satisfying meal.
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 3-4 people
What is Litti Chokha:
Litti Chokha is a popular Bhojpuri delicacy where "litti" and "chokha" are the two main components. Litti are round balls made from wheat flour dough, which are often roasted. Chokha is a mixture of various vegetables and small chunks, such as eggplant, tomato, and potatoes. It is a well-liked and delicious dish, often enjoyed during fasting days.
The taste of Litti Chokha is truly special. Litti is roasted in ghee and served with a combination of sardi (mashed winter vegetables) and butter, which enhances its flavor even further. Chokha is enriched with a blend of spices, making it unique and flavorful. Litti Chokha is a part of the heritage of Indian cuisine, representing feelings of hunger, satisfaction, and delight. Here, we present a simple recipe for making the famous dish of Bihar, Litti and Chokha.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of wheat flour
- 2 small spoons of ghee
- 1/2 small spoon of salt
- Water
How to Make:
1. In a large bowl, combine wheat flour, ghee, and salt. Gradually add water and knead to make a firm dough. Cover the dough and let it rest for 10 minutes.
Now comes the part of making the "litti":
Ingredients:
- 2 cups of sattu (roasted chickpea flour)
- 1 small spoon of ajwain (carom seeds)
- 1 spoon of finely chopped garlic
- 1 spoon of finely chopped ginger
- 1 spoon of finely chopped onion
- 2 green chilies (finely chopped)
- 1/2 small spoon of pickle masala
- 2 teaspoons of mustard oil
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
How to Make:
2. In a bowl, mix sattu, ajwain, finely chopped garlic, finely chopped ginger, onion, green chilies, chopped coriander leaves, pickle masala, mustard oil, and salt to taste.
3. Knead the dough once again and prepare small round balls (lois) by pressing the dough between your palms.
4. Shape the mixture into small rounds resembling katoris (bowls), fill them with the prepared sattu mixture, and close the round balls tightly. Prepare all the littis in the same way. If you prefer, you can deep-fry them.
5. Alternatively, to make litti in a pressure cooker, follow the steps below:
6. In a pressure cooker, add 1 spoon of ghee or oil and grease it. Place it on the stovetop.
7. Let it heat on low flame. Then, place the prepared littis in the pressure cooker and put the lid on. Remember to remove the whistle and rubber ring from the lid.
8. Keep the flame on medium and after 5 minutes, remove the lid and check. Flip the littis to ensure they are evenly cooked from all sides. Put the lid back on and cook for 7-8 more minutes.
9. Flip the littis again to ensure even cooking. Repeat the process of covering and cooking for 7-8 minutes a couple more times.
10. Check the Litti after 20 to 25 minutes of cooking, and when there are crack marks on it, consider it ready.
11. When there are crack marks on its outer layer, understand that the Litti is cooked.
12. To check if the Litti is cooked, its outer layer should have a slightly brown and crispy texture.
13. Serve the hot Litti with Chokha (a mixture of roasted eggplant, tomatoes, and potatoes) and ghee.
Now comes the part of making Chokha
Ingredients:
- 2 large boiled potatoes
- 1 large eggplant (baingan)
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 chopped green chilies
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
- 1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
- 1 medium-sized finely chopped onion
- A pinch of asafoetida (hing)
- Chopped coriander leaves
- Salt to taste
How to Make Chokha:
1. Start by washing the eggplant thoroughly and patting it dry with a kitchen napkin.
2. Then, make long slits in the eggplant and check inside to ensure there are no insects. Grease a little oil on top of the eggplant.
3. Similarly, grease a little oil on the tomatoes. Place the eggplant and tomatoes on a stovetop. Keep the flame on medium.
4. When the eggplant and tomatoes are cooked on one side, flip them to the other side. While roasting the eggplant, be cautious as its water might drip onto the stovetop.
5. This step can be cleaned later. After the eggplant and tomatoes are roasted, turn off the flame and let them cool down a bit.
6. Now, using a knife or a spoon, remove all the pulp from the eggplant, or you can also dip the eggplant in water.
7. The skin of the eggplant will easily peel off, and you can remove the skin of the tomatoes as well.
8. In a bowl, mash the roasted eggplant and tomatoes along with the boiled potatoes, finely chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chilies, mustard oil, hing, chopped coriander leaves, and salt to taste. Mix everything well. You can use a masher if needed.
Ingredients for Green Chutney:
- 1 tomato
- A handful of fresh coriander leaves
- 4 cloves of garlic
- 1 small piece of ginger
- 2 green chilies
- Salt to taste
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
Instructions:
1. In a mixing jar, combine tomato, fresh coriander leaves, garlic, ginger, salt, and lemon juice.
2. Blend the ingredients until you get a smooth paste. If the chutney seems too thick, you can add a little water to adjust the consistency.
3. Your green chutney is now ready. Pour it into a bowl. If the chutney is too thick, you can add a little water to adjust the consistency.
4. Now that both the litti and chokha are ready, serve the hot littis by dipping them in desi ghee and accompanied by the flavorful chokha and green chutney.
Pro Tips:
Litti Dough: The dough for litti should be slightly firm. Mix a small amount of oil or ghee in the flour and gradually add warm water to make a thick dough.
Note that when using a pressure cooker, be cautious. Cooking time can vary based on the pressure cooker and heat source, so keep an eye on the litti to ensure it doesn't overcook or burn.
Hot Serving: Serve the litti and chokha hot. This enhances their flavor even more.
Accompaniments: While enjoying litti chokha, you can serve them with yogurt, onions, and green chutney.
Pressure Cooker Method: Seal the pressure cooker with its lid, and cook the litti on low heat for about 20-25 minutes. Flip the littis occasionally to ensure even cooking.
Tandoor or Open Flame Cooking: You can cook the litti by directly placing it on a tandoor or an open flame. This imparts a smoky and delicious flavor.
Deep-Frying: If you prefer, you can deep-fry the littis after cooking them initially. Dip them in oil and fry until they turn golden and crispy.
Jain Version: For a Jain version, omit onions and garlic while making the chokha.
Local Twist: Customize the litti chokha by adding your favorite local ingredients to make it unique to your taste.
Delicious Salad: Serving fresh salad alongside the chokha can enhance its taste. For making baingan ka chokha, choose eggplants without seeds.
Oven Baking: Alternatively, you can make small round balls of the litti dough and bake them in a preheated oven at 180°C for 25-30 minutes.
If you don't want to use raw onions, ginger, garlic, and green chilies while making chokha, you can sauté them in oil first. Then add mashed eggplant, potatoes, salt, and tomatoes. Additionally, you can add spices like garam masala, turmeric powder, red chili powder, salt, and coriander powder if desired. However, in the authentic chokha recipe, raw onions and garlic are traditionally used. If you don't like them, you can omit them.
FAQ:
1. What is "Litti Chokha"?
Litti Chokha is a traditional Bihari dish in which litti (dough balls made of wheat flour) is served with chokha (spiced mashed vegetables).
2. What ingredients are needed to make Litti?
To make Litti, you will need ingredients like flour, semolina, ghee, yogurt, coriander leaves, finely chopped ginger-garlic, carom seeds, turmeric, salt, etc.
3. How is Litti prepared?
To prepare Litti, a mixture of flour, ghee, salt, and other ingredients is used to make dough balls. These balls are then baked in a tandoor or on an open flame until cooked and golden brown.