Simple Litti Chokha Recipe
Taste The Pride of Bihar: Enjoy The Delicious Litti Chokha Recipe
Litti chokha is the prime example of Bihar's cuisine's spicy and savoury deliciousness. Litti chokha is an incredibly easy-to-eat snack whose main item is the litti. Litti is a dough ball made using whole wheat flour, and it is stuffed with a spiced earthy mixture of roasted black chickpea, sattu, or kala chana flour.
On the other hand, chokha is a mashed relish ordinarily made using potatoes. Still, you can also make them using different vegetables such as tomato, eggplant brinjal, and more. Since sattu is the significant ingredient used as a stuffing in the litti, you must also pay special attention.
Step-by-Step Process of Making Litti Chokha
Making Litti Chokha is very simple if prepared by following the recipe cautiously. Remember, this recipe will serve 3-4 people. So, let’s get cooking!
Step 1: Prepare the Dough for Litti
The first and foremost thing to be done in the litti chokha recipe is to prepare the dough. The dough can be prepared using the steps given below:
→ Add 240 grams or 2 cups of atta or whole wheat flour in a mixing bowl, a tablespoon of oil or ghee, and ¼ tablespoon salt.
→ Keep on adding water in parts and start kneading the dough. Continue adding water around ¾ cup, however, it depends on the flour you have taken.
→ Knead the dough to make it smooth and soft. Cover the bowl of the dough and set it aside.
Step 2: Make the Stuffing
Create some of the most delicious stuffing for your litti chokha by following the below instructions:
→ Take ½ teaspoon of saunf or fennel seeds and ½ teaspoon of jeera or cumin seeds in a mortar-pestle and crush it lightly. Keep it aside after finely crushed.
→ Take 1 cup of roasted black chickpea flour or roasted gram flour in a mixing pan or bowl, then add the crushed fennel and cumin seeds.
→ In the bowl, you can further add the following ingredients:
• ½ teaspoon of red chilli powder
• ½ teaspoon of kalonji or nigella seeds
• ½ teaspoon of ajwain or carom seeds
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon chopped green chillies
• 2 tablespoons of chopped coriander leaves
• 2 teaspoons of lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon of regular and black salt as per taste
• 2 teaspoons of mustard oil
→ Mix the ingredients well in the bowl.
→ Sprinkle around 1 or 2 tablespoons of water in the flour to mix it evenly. You can even pour more water if required.
Pro Tip: Ensure the stuffing mix is not too wet or dry. If the mixture turns out dry, you will feel dryness while eating your littis.
Step 3: Assemble, Shape, and Make the Littis
Follow the below steps to stuff, shape, and make your delectable littis:
→ Make medium or small-sized balls from the dough that has rested for at least 30 minutes.
→ Flatten the balls of dough with your palms and create a shallow cup.
→ Put the stuffing inside the cup and gently bring the outer section of the dough cover in the middle. Join and seal the edges while pushing the stuffing down in the middle.
Pro Tip: There are different methods of stuffing and creating the shape of the litti.
→ And you can utilise whatever method suits you best to get the perfect desirable round shape.
Step 4: Bake Your Littis
Now that you have prepared your littis, it’s time to bake them in the OTG. Follow the below steps to bake your littis and get a perfect golden hue:
→ Place the prepared littis on the baking tray after greasing it with oil. Keeping your tray greased is necessary to ensure the littis do not stick to its surface.
→ Preheat the OTG to around 200 degrees Celsius or 390 degrees Fahrenheit twenty minutes before baking. You can place the tray inside once the oven has been preheated.
→ You can remove the tray after 10-15 minutes and start flipping each of your littis. After flipping, you can put the tray back in the oven.
→ Keep flipping your littis after 10-15 minutes, and then bake them for 30-35 minutes until the crust of the littis has golden brown or light brown spots.
Pro Tip: The baking time of all your littis will differ depending on the capacity and size of your oven. And if you want some charred spots on your litti, you can charr them on an open fire with the help of tongs.
→ Once your littis are made, you can serve a hot plate of fresh litti chokhas with a small bowl of melted ghee. You can also serve many different kinds of chokhas to accompany your littis.
Expert Tips on Making Lip-Smacking Litti Chokha
Litti chokha is made traditionally using sattu, but if you don’t have that available at home, you can always use the whole chana or the roasted chana dal without the husk. You can grind these lentils in a fine powder and then use them.
Moreover, there is more than one way of cooking littis. You can either bake them in the oven like it's given above, but you can also grill them on tandoor, roast on tawa, or deep fry in oil.
Conclusion
Litti chokha is a delectable recipe that can make anyone drool and be eaten whenever you want. Moreover, it’s easy to learn how to make litti chokha and understand what is litti chokha in the first place if you understand the ingredients used. Once the ingredients are ready, it’s all a matter of stuffing and cooking. After the littis are ready, you can simply prepare the side dishes of chokhas, chutneys, and melted ghee to start enjoying the delicious littis.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
1. What different alternatives of sattu can I use for making the stuffing?
If you don’t have sattu, you can grind and use the whole chana or roasted split dal without their husks. There might be a difference in taste, but they will still give you the same feel.
2. What are the different items that I can serve alongside litti?
You can serve a variety of items such as aloo chokha, baingan chokha, or tomato chokha. You can even serve pickles on the side with the melted bowl of ghee.
3. What is the total time for litti to cook in the oven?
The total time littis take to cook in the oven depends on your batch size. But one tray of littis can take around 40-50 minutes. However, it also depends on the capacity of your oven.
