Litti Chokha ( For SNC )

For this month's Divya's south-vs-north-challenge  we were challenged by   Nupur of uk-rasoi  to make a Bihari dish called Litti Chokha which was a totally new name for me. Then when I read how to make this dish it almost sounded as if I had to recreate a dish like Rajasthani Daal Baati. But when I actually made and tasted them they were very very different and had a unique taste.

Litti Chokha is a traditional Bihari dish and I wonder how come I hadn't come across this till now. This dish was an instant hit with my family and the taste of Chokha ( Bihari Potato Bharta) was divine.  I have however fried the Littis though I personally would have preferred to oven bake them but then unfortunately my oven is giving me some problems and had no choice but to fry them. Though they tasted yummy I kept on feeling guilty eating these fried liitis.

 The Littis or the stuffed wheat balls are in themselves a treat and can be had with pickle for breakfast. Though the dish sounds complicated it is very easy to make provided you get ready made Sattu ka Atta at your grocery shop.

Thanks to Nupur for suggesting such a wonderful dish and introducing us to the unknown wonders of Bihari cuisine.

Ingredients :

( For the Littis cover ) :

2 cups ..................wheat flour
1/2 tsp..................owa ( ajwain seeds)
2 tbsp....................ghee
1/2 cup .................warm water
1/4 tsp..................baking soda
salt

Mix wheat flour and ajwain with soda and ghee and knead a smooth and firm dough and keep aside.


For the Pitti (or filling ) :

1 cup .......................sattu ka atta
1 tbsp......................finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp....................finely chopped green chilly
1/2 cup..................finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp.......................cumin seeds
1 tsp.......................ajwain seeds
2 tbsp.....................lemon juice
1 tbsp.....................vegetable oil
salt

Add all the ingredients together and mix well.

Add little water if necessary and mix gently with fingers to resemble bread crumbs.

To make the Littis :

Make 10 to 12 equal sized balls of the dough.

Press these balls on your palms to the size of a small puri.

Put 1 to 2 tsp pitti on this and close the dough from all sides.

Make a ball and press it a little to resemble the shape of a big pedha.

When all the littis and filled in such a way deep fry them in oil on a slow flame till golden in colour.

You can also bake them in the oven for 15 to 20 minutes by applying oil on surface.

Take care to turn them once or twice while baking to ensure even baking on both sides.

These are the littis or the stuffed balls.

For the Chokha :

4 to 5 .....................boiled potatoes ( skin peeled and mashed)
2 ............................onions finely chopped
2 ............................tomatoes
5 to 6 ....................garlic cloves
2............................green chillies finely chopped
1 tbsp....................grated ginger
2 tbsp....................finely chopped coriander leaves
2 tbps....................mustard oil
salt

Roast the tomato and garlic on the gas on direct flame till almost burnt.

When the tomato cools remove the black roasted skin.

Now mash the tomato and garlic with your hands .

Add all the other ingredients well and keep aside.

This is called chokha and is to be served with Littis.

How to serve :

Place some chokha in a bowl.

Break the littis and add a spoon full of ghee on top of them.

Serve these hot ghee dipped littis with chokha.