Litti Chokha
Patna, Bihar, India
Roasted whole wheat dough balls stuffed with sattu (roasted gram flour) mixed with ajwain, mustard oil, and spices, charred directly over cow dung cakes or wood fire until smoky and crackly. Served smashed open and drenched in ghee alongside chokha, a rustic mash of fire roasted eggplant, tomato, and potato seasoned with raw mustard oil and green chilies. It's the defining food of Bihar and Jharkhand, eaten by everyone from farmers to politicians, yet almost completely unknown outside the Hindi belt. The sattu filling is a powerhouse of protein that sustained laborers and travelers for centuries before protein bars existed.
Ingredients
- 2 cupswhole wheat flour
- 1 cupsattu (roasted gram flour)
- 4 tbspmustard oil
- 1 tspajwain (carom seeds)
- 0.5 tspkalonji (nigella seeds)
- 3 piecesgreen chilies (finely chopped)
- 2 tbsplemon juice
- 4 tbspghee (for drenching)
- 1 wholelarge eggplant
- 3 mediumtomatoes
- 2 mediumpotatoes (boiled)
- 4 piecesgarlic cloves
- 2 tbspfresh coriander (chopped)
- to tastesalt
Directions
- 1
Prepare the sattu filling by mixing sattu with chopped green chilies, ajwain, kalonji, 2 tablespoons mustard oil, lemon juice, and salt. Add just enough water to make a moist but not wet mixture.
- 2
Make a firm dough from whole wheat flour, a pinch of salt, and water. Let it rest covered for 20 minutes.
- 3
Divide the dough into golf ball sized portions. Flatten each ball, place a generous spoonful of sattu filling in the center, and seal the edges, rolling gently back into a smooth ball.
- 4
Roast the stuffed balls directly over a charcoal or wood fire (or on a gas flame using a wire rack), turning frequently until the exterior is evenly charred and crispy all around, about 15 minutes.
- 5
For the chokha, roast the whole eggplant and tomatoes directly over flame until the skin is completely blackened and the flesh is soft and smoky.
- 6
Peel the charred eggplant and tomatoes, then mash them together with the boiled potatoes, minced garlic, remaining mustard oil, salt, and chopped coriander into a coarse, rustic mash.
- 7
Crack each litti open with your thumb, drench generously with melted ghee, and serve hot alongside the chokha.