Litti Chokha Recipe | Litti Recipe

Preparing litti dough

1. In a mixing bowl, take the whole wheat flour (atta) and salt. Also add ghee or oil.
2. Now add water in parts and knead to a smooth soft dough. I added ¾ cup water. Depending on the quality of flour, you can add ¾ to 1 cup water.
3. Knead till smooth and soft. Cover the dough and keep aside to rest for 20 minutes.

Making stuffing for litti

1. In a mortar-pestle take the cumin seeds and fennel seeds. Lightly crush them and keep aside.
2. Take the sattu or roasted black chickpea flour in a mixing bowl or pan.
3. Add the slightly crushed cumin seeds and fennel seeds.
4. Next add carom seeds, nigella seeds, red chilli powder, chopped green chilies, finely chopped ginger and garlic, chopped coriander leaves and black salt. Also add regular salt as per taste.
5. Add lemon juice and mustard oil.
6. Mix very well.
7. Sprinkle 1 to 2 tablespoons water all over and mix the flour with water evenly. Do add more water if required. The sattu stuffing mixture should not be too dry or too wet. If the mixture is dry, then the dryness is felt when eating litti.

Stuffing & shaping litti

1. After 30 minutes, now make small or medium sized balls from the dough.
2. Sprinkling some flour, roll each dough ball to a circle of about 5 to 6 inches.
3. Place 2 to 3 tablespoons of the stuffing in the center.
4. Pleat and then join the edges. Press the joined part and lightly roll the stuffed dough balls in your palms, so as to get a round shape. Keep aside.
5. Another method is to flatten the the dough ball with your palms and make a shallow cup.
6. Now place the stuffing.
7. Gently bring together the outer dough cover in the center, while pressing the stuffing. Join and then seal the edges. This is a bit tricky method. So please use the method which suits you.
8. Keep the prepared littis under a cotton towel or napkin, so that the dough does not dry out.
9. Prepare all stuffed littis this way and place them on a baking tray, which has been greased with some oil. Do grease baking tray well, otherwise the littis can stuck to the tray.

Baking litti

1. Place the littis in a preheated oven at 200° C/390° F. Preheat the oven for 20 minutes at 200° C/390° F prior to baking.
2. After 10 to 15 minutes of baking, remove the tray and flip each litti. Keep the tray back in the oven.
3. Again after 10 to 15 minutes, remove the baking tray and flip each litti. Place the tray back in the oven. This has to be done once or twice more for even baking of littis.
4. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes or till the crust looks done with some light brown or golden brown spots on them. Timing will vary upon the size and litres of the oven. It took me about 40 minutes for these to bake.
5. Brush the littis with some melted ghee all over.
6. This particular step is optional and only to get charred spots on the litti. Secure the baked litti in a pair of tongs and place it on fire. Rotate for a few seconds till you see some charred spots on litti.
7. Serve these Bihari style litti with baingan chokha, aloo chokha and tomato chokha accompanied with a small bowl of melted ghee. The litti is broken, dipped in ghee and then eaten with the chokha.

Making baingan chokha

1. Rinse the bainga/eggplant/aubergine in water a few times. Place it on a wired rack on a stovetop or you can place it directly on the stovetop flame.
2. Keep turning the eggplant after 2 to 3 minutes on the flame, so that it is evenly cooked.
3. Roast the eggplant till its completely cooked and tender. With a knife check the doneness. The knife should slid easily in the eggplant. Remove the eggplant and immerse in a bowl of water till it cools.
4. Then peel it and chop.
5. Add the chopped baingan in a mixing bowl along with its juices.
6. Then add the finely chopped onions, chopped green chilies, chopped garlic and chopped coriander leaves.
7. Add mustard oil. If you want, you can add ¼ to ½ teaspoon lemon juice for a slight tang. Season with salt.
8. Mix everything very well.

Making tomato chokha

1. Rinse tomatoes very well in water first. Then place them on a wired grill rack placed on the stovetop and begin to roast the tomatoes. You can also place them directly on the stovetop flame. You can also grill the tomatoes or roast in the oven. But then you won't get the smoky flavor.
2. Turn them after a few minutes for even roasting. The tomatoes should get charred.
3. Roast the tomatoes till they are completely cooked from within. With a knife check the doneness. The knife should slid easily in the tomatoes.
4. Once the tomatoes cool, then peel them and remove the charred skin. Chop them and add the chopped tomatoes along with its juices in a mixing bowl.
5. Add chopped green chilies, finely chopped garlic, chopped coriander leaves, mustard oil and lemon juice.
6. Season with salt as per taste. Mix very well.
7. Check the taste and add more lemon juice or mustard oil or green chilies or salt if required.

Making aloo chokha

1. First boil or steam 2 medium potatoes (160 grams) adding water as needed. till they are thoroughly cooked.
2. You can steam them in a pan or electric rice cooker or pressure cook them in 1.25 to 1.5 cups water for 5 to 6 whistles in a 2 litre pressure cooker.
3. Allow them to become warm.
4. When the potatoes become warm, peel and mash them.
5. Add ⅓ cup finely chopped onions, ½ teaspoon chopped green chilies, ½ teaspoon finely chopped garlic, ½ teaspoon mustard oil and ½ teaspoon lemon juice.
6. Mix very well. Check the taste and add more salt, lemon juice or green chilies if required. Serve with litti.