Litti Chokha

Litti with chokha is a popular meal originated from India, popular in the states of Bihar, Jharkhand, parts of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. A variation of litti is Bhatti. I learned about this from my good friend Anshu. Litti is basically wheat flour balls stuffed with roasted gram flour called sattu and deep fried. It is served with fire roasted eggplants, tomato and boiled potatoes mashed together along with spices and mustard oil. I used the recipe from Nishamadhulika.com to make litti chokha for dinner yesterday, with some variation. I used the air fryer instead of frying.

Ingredients:

For Litti:
3 cups whole wheat flour
3 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)
2 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups water or as needed

For stuffing:
1 cup sattu flour
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoon grated ginger
3 green chili, chopped
1 tablespoon pickle masala
2 tablespoon finely chopped onion (optional)
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic (optional)
2 tablespoon mustard oil
2 tablespoon lemon juice
salt as required

For Chokha:
1 Italian eggplant
2 tomatoes
1 potato, boiled
5 green chili, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grated ginger
3 tablespoon chopped cilantro
3 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon mustard oil
salt to taste

Method:

Dough:
Mix ghee to the dry ingredients. Make a soft dough adding water little at a time. Cover the dough and set aside for 20 minutes.

Stuffing:
1.Take sattu in a medium bowl.

2. Add cilantro, green chili, grated ginger, pickle masala, salt, onion and garlic if you are using, lemon juice, and mustard oil. Mix well. Sprinkle some water if the stuffing is too dry.

Litti:
1. Knead dough to make it pliable. Divide dough into balls.

2. Take a ball of dough, flatten a little. Fill the center with a spoon of stuffing. Close up the stuffing. Repeat the process for the remaining dough balls.

3. Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add a few drops of oil, place the balls of dough filled with sattu in the water and cook for 8-10 minutes.

4. Remove the balls using a slotted spoon and allow to cool.

5. Deep fry litti until golden brown. I used air fryer to cook my litti. Preheat air fryer at 370 degrees for 5 minutes. Spray the container with oil. Place litti in the container and spray the top. Cook for 15 minutes, turning them over in between. Check and cook some more if required.

Chokha:
1. Spray eggplant and tomatoes with oil. Broil them in the oven or roast them over the stove. Allow to cool. Peel the skin and place them in a medium bowl.

2. Add boiled potatoes to the bowl. Add chopped green chili, cilantro, grated ginger, lemon juice, salt and 1 tablespoon mustard oil. Mash everything together to make chokha.

Serve warm chokha with hot litti.

Note:
Using mustard oil is authentic to Bihari cuisine. I personally do not like the taste of mustard oil. I substituted it with sesame oil.
Parboiled litti can be frozen for later use.