Today I am sharing with you guys this recipe of LITTI CHOKHA. I know most of you would not have even heard of it. So let me take you to the journey of this amazing dish from its origin to the preparation and the possible variations that are seen in the various parts of India.
LITTI CHOKHA is a traditional meal originated from the Indian state of Bihar. It is very popular in the states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, etc.
(Let me tell you something about the name of this dish, nowadays the people call it as Litti, but the original name which I have heard since my childhood is Batti, but nowadays even the people in my native have started calling it as Litti.)
Still guessing about what it is?? Here's one liner description of what is Litti and Chokha.
a.) Litti is a wheat dough ball.
b.) Chokha is nothing but similar to the Baingan Bharta.
So the preparation involves two stages:-
1.) Preparation of Litti
2.) Preparation of Chokha
I.) PREPARATION OF LITTI:-
1.) In a mixing bowl, add 2 cups of flour (around 250gms) and 1/4 teaspoon salt.
Also add 1 teaspoon of ghee or oil, whichever you prefer.
2.) Now add water in parts and knead the dough until it is soft.
3.) Cover the dough and keep aside for around 10-15 mins.
The basic process of preparation of Litti ends here. If you want to add some stuffing to the Litti to enhance its taste even more then you can add a mixture that includes the following ingredients:-
INGREDIENTS:-
Roasted & Crushed Cumin(Jeera) and Fennel (Saunf) seeds.
1 Cup Besan or Gram Flour.
1 Tsp chopped Ginger, Garlic & Green Chillies (1/2)
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
2 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves & Mustard Oil.
Now, mix the above ingredients properly so as to obtain a smooth mixture.
Using the dough, make 6-7 medium sized dough balls i.e. Litti. Now, to stuff the Litti with the mixture prepared, make the balls into Chapati like structure and then with the help of the spoon fill the mixture in the chapati (made out of the dough ball). Do not overfill it otherwise you won't be able to give it the shape of proper Litti.
After you have filled the Litti with its stuffing, join its edges and then lightly roll the dough ball within your palms so as to give it a proper shape of Litti.
(The Stuffing part is completely optional. )
Now, the main part comes here i.e. Cooking the Litti. In earlier days it was cooked on the wood fire or cow dung fire but nowadays you can cook them in the Oven. The Oven should be preheated around 200 degrees Celsius and 20 minutes prior to baking.
Grease the baking tray with oil properly and put the Litti in the baking tray and make sure you flip the Litti after every 10 to 15 minutes. Bake it until the crust gets the light brown or black spots on its surface. It will take you around 45 minutes to bake all the Litti.
II.) PREPARATION OF CHOKHA:-
The Litti can be served with diferrent types of chokha like Aloo ka chokha or Baingan (Eggplant) Chokha/Bharta. I will be sharing the recipe of Baingan ka Bharta in this post. So let's begin with it knowing the ingredients first.
INGREDIENTS:-
- 1 Brinjal (Baingan / Eggplant)
- 1 Tomato , finely chopped
- 1 Green Chilli , finely chopped
- 1 Onion , finely chopped
- 1 inch Ginger , chopped in juliens or grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Asafoetida (Hing)
- 2 tablespoons Mustard oil
- Salt (to taste).
Now, lets start preparing the Baingan ka Bharta after collecting all the ingredients mentioned above. You can vary the measurements depending upon the quantity required.
The next step here is roasting the eggplant or baingan over a gas flame or even in oven as per your wish and also convenience.
To roast the baingan over the gas flame, place it on the stove top flame, with continuous rotating in order to ensure the proper roasting of baingan throughout.
After about 10 minutes you will notice that the brinjal’s skin begins to char and the inside begins to get tender.
Roast it until the inside part becomes soft and tender. To check whether the roasting part is done or not, insert knife inside the baingan and check if you can move the knife properly or not.
If not then continue roasting until it is done.
Once brinjal is roasted allow the brinjal to cool down. Peel the skin of the cooled brinjal and discard the skin.
Coarsely mash the pulp using a fork or mince finely using a knife.
Heat mustard oil in a pan and ensure that the bottom surface of the pan should be thick.
Add asafoetida and stir for a few seconds. Add the onions, ginger, garlic and green chillies and cook for 2-3 minutes until the onions start changing its color or start becoming translucent.
Add the tomatoes, and cook them until they turn soft. Now add the mashed roasted baingan, salt and cook for another 5 minutes so that you get the proper taste of the dish.
You can add few leaves of coriander for garnishing purpose.
Your dish is ready and now you can enjoy your dish.
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