Litti Chokha is a traditional Bihari and Jharkhand dish that is quite similar to Rajasthani Baati but still very different. The litti is the bread made out of flour and is stuffed with sattu and chokha is the side dish made using eggplant, potato or tomatoes. Here is how to make it.
About This Recipe
This is a very traditional dish that’s popular in Bihar and Jharkhand, it’s a special dish that’s made in most Bihari households and the whole family comes together to enjoy this ghee dunked stuffed wheat balls. Don’t you love it too?
These authentic stuffed whole wheat balls resemble the Rajasthani Batti, but the flavours are quite different in the Litti. The stuffed whole wheat balls are referred to as Litti and the subzi served with is the Chokha. In some regions of Bihar, the Litti is also served with a spicy chicken curry.
This dish was very popular during the war times as it didn’t require much water and would also stay fresh for a longer period of time. The flavours of this dish are great and the stuffing in the dough balls adds oomph of flavour to the Litti.
How was Litti Cooked in olden days?
Traditionally, the litti is baked in traditional fuel like cow dung and now you’ll find that most restaurants are trying to infuse different flavors while baking the Litti balls. But this recipe recipe can be made in oven easily. You can also use convection mode to make it in a Microwave.
After cooking the litti in oven, just keep it over the direct flame to get those black blisters all around. It will not only enhance the taste, the litti will look traditional.
Recipe Summary
To make the Litti or the wheat balls, whole wheat flavor is kneaded into a soft dough with salt, ghee or clarified butter and cooking soda.Sometimes, carom seeds or ajwain is also used to flavor it.
Once done, the dough is covered and kept aside for some time. The flavourful filling is made using a stuffing of Sattu or roasted chana dal flour, grated ginger, finely chopped green chillies, pickle masala, lemon juice, salt and red chilli powder.
Some oil can be added in if the filling is too dry. Next the Litti is assembled by taking a small ball of dough and stuffing it with the prepared stuffing. Finally, the littis are laid out and baked in an oven till it’s browned on all sides. Then it’s lightly roasted over direct flame and dipped in ghee.
A quick chokha is also prepared using roasted baigan and tomatoes. A simple flavouring of chopped onions, green chilli, chopped coriander, salt, mustard oil and lemon juice are added in to make the chokha.
This Authentic recipe is an extravagant dish to try at home, but your family is going to fall in love from the very first bite. What’s great about these dough balls is that the flavors come through as you bite into the stuffing.
Chokha might seem a lot similar to the traditional baigan bharta, but the flavors of this dish are quite different.
Dipping of the fresh littis in desi ghee gives it such a nice flavor. The whole dish has a very rustic and earthy flavor to it and it might seem like a tedious recipe at first, but give it a try and you’ll enjoy how the whole dish comes together in your mouth. Here is how to make it in Traditional Bihari style.
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Recipe Card
Litti Chokha Recipe
Ingredients
For Litti
- 2 cups Whole Wheat Flour
- ½ tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Ghee
- ⅛ tsp Cooking Soda
For the filling
- 1 cup Sattu
- 1 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1 tsp Ginger (Grated)
- 1 tsp Green Chilli (Finely Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander (Finely Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Pickle Masala
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
- Salt to taste
- 1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
For Baingan Ka Chokha
- 1 Brinjal (Large)
- 2 Tomato (Medium)
- ½ cup Onion (Chopped)
- 2 tsp Green Chilli (Chopped)
- 2 tbsp Fresh Coriander (Chopped)
- Salt to taste
- 3 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
Instructions
For Litti
- Add whole wheat flour, salt, ghee and cooking soda in a bowl and mix well.
- Add water and knead to make a medium soft dough.
- Cover the dough and keep aside for 30 minutes.
For the Filling
- Add all the ingredients in a bowl and mix well.
- Add some more oil if the filling is too dry.
- You should be able to bind the filling in your fist.
Assembling the litti
- Take out a large lemon sized dough and make it into a ball.
- Roll the dough ball to make a 4-5 inch circle.
- Keep 2 tbsp of filling in the centre of the dough and bring the ends together.
- Nicely seal the ends.
- Make all the lit in the same manner.
- Keep the litti covered with a cloth.
- Pre heat an oven to 180 degrees C.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes until browned from the top.
- Flip the litti upside down and bake for another 10-12 minutes.
- They should be evenly browned from all the sides.
- Hold the litti with a tong and roast them over direct flame so that brown spots appears all over them.
- Dip the litti in ghee and serve with chokha.
For Baingan ka Chokha
- Roast the baingan and tomatoes over direct flame until nicely charred.
- Remove them on a plate and let cool.
- Remove the skin of the eggplant and tomato and mash them nicely.
- Add all the remaining ingredients and mix well.
- Serve hot with litti.
