Litti Chokha/Bati Chokha

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    Originating from the state of Bihar, Litti, Bati or Bhawri is as famous all over India as Dhokla from Gujrat or Samosa from Punjab. Generally had with Chokha(A dish on its Own) Litti-Chokha comprises of a full meal with carbs in the form of wheat floor, proteins in the form of roasted Bengal gram floor & fat in the form of added Ghee on top. 
     Litti is also very popular in Eastern Uttar Pradesh & Jharkhand too. Given its humble origins & pocket friendly ingredients, Litti became the staple for the working class. And also given the fact that it can be made over a campfire with minimal ingredients and good its good shelf life, it became the go to food for travelers & wayfarers.
       Traditionally Littis are made over a campfire, or in a makeshift oven fired with charcoal or Cow-dung Cakes. You wouldn't want to start a campfire in your kitchen just for the recipe, so we are going to make Littis in an air fryer today. We will also be making Chokha which is a variant of the popular Baigan Bharta with added mashed potatoes to go along with out Littis.
        The authentic Littis are made of wheat floor dough balls stuffed with roasted gram floor. Over the centuries, the recipe for Littis has evolved by adding seasonings and condiments to the roasted Gram Floor (Sattu) stuffing. We shall be seasoning out littis with the basics that are considered a must these days. So lest begin.

Prep Time:

20 mins


Cook Time:
30-60 mins

Ingredients:
  1. Wheat Floor-3 Cups
  2. Roasted Bengal Gram Floor(Sattu) - 2 Cups
  3. Eggplant(Brinjal/Baigan) -2 Large
  4. Potatoes - 3 Medium
  5. Onions -4 Large
  6. Tomatoes - 2 Medium
  7. Diced Ginger - 2 Tbsp
  8. Diced Garlic - 2 Tbsp
  9. Diced Green Chilies - 2 Tbsp
  10. Fresh Coriander(Diced) - 3Tbsp
  11. Mustard Oil - 2Tbsp
  12. Nigella Seeds(Optional) - 1 Tsp
  13. Carrom Seeds(Optional) - 1 Tsp
  14. Lemon - 1 large
  15. Rock Salt - To Taste
  16. Ghee - Lots & Lots of
Procedure:
First we shall be making the chokha.

  • Make some cuts on the Brinjals with a knife and coat them with a thin layer of mustard oil.
  • Roast them till they well done as seen in the above pic.
  • The peel of the blackened & charred skin and keep aside.

  • Boil the tree potatoes.
  • Peel and mash up the boiled potatoes.


  • While the potatoes are boiling & the Brinjals are roasting, dice up the onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, coriander & green chilies
  • Traditionally, boiled & then mashed tomatoes were added to the chokha but we shall be using diced tomatoes to save on time.
  • I suggest using a food processor for doing all the dicing work.
 

  • In a large glass mixing bowl, take the roasted brinjal & mashed potatoes.
  • Add half of the diced onions & all of the diced tomatoes.
  • Add 1 Tbsp Diced Ginger, 1Tbsp Diced Green Chilies, 1Tbsp Diced Garlic, 1Tbsp Diced Coriander leaves.
  • Add 1 Tsp raw mustard oil, rock salt to taste. 
  • Squeeze half a lemon on top. 
  • Mix & mashup all the items a paste like texture as seen in the pic.
  • Pro tip: Use your hands for the mashing.
  • Thus our Chokha is ready and we shall keep it aside till we roast out Littis.

  • For the littis, we shall first make the stuffing.
  • In large mixing bowl, take all of the roasted Bengal gram floor.
  • Add the remaining half of the diced onions, garlic, chilies, ginger & coriander.
  • Add the optional Nigella &/or Carrom Seeds.
  • Add 1 Tsp raw mustard oil, squeeze in half a lemon.
  • Add Rock salt to taste.
  • Thus our filling is now ready.

  • Knead the 3 cups of wheat floor into a normal dough as you would for everyday rotis.
  • Make dumpling shaped littis by adding the stuffing we made earlier.
  • Put them in a air fryer and set the air fryer to 180 Degrees Celsius for 15 mins.
  • You can make 5-10 littis at a time depending upon the size your air fryer.
Now that our Littis & Chokha are ready serve them hot with Green Chilies, Onions & Lemon Wedges and do not forget to put lots of Ghee on top of the Littis.

If you like the recipe, stay tuned to my blog for more recipes, Travel Logs & miuch more. 

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