Litti chokha is humble, ancient Bihari and Jharkhandi cooking. Litti are wheat-dough balls packed with a tangy, spiced filling of sattu (roasted gram flour) and roasted hard over coals; chokha is a smoky mash of fire-roasted eggplant, tomato and potato. Together with a pool of ghee, it's pure comfort — no fancy equipment needed.
Ingredients
- Dough: 2 cups whole-wheat flour (atta) · water · salt
- Filling: 1 cup sattu · 1 tbsp mustard oil · ajwain · nigella seeds
- Ginger, garlic, green chili, pickle masala, lemon
- Chokha: 2 eggplants · 3 tomatoes · 2 potatoes
- 1 onion · garlic · green chili · mustard oil · cilantro
- Ghee for dipping · salt
Method
- Make a firm dough with the atta, a little salt and water. Rest 20 minutes.
- Mix the sattu with mustard oil, ajwain, nigella, minced ginger-garlic-chili, a spoon of pickle masala, lemon juice and salt until crumbly but holding together.
- Divide the dough into balls, flatten each, add a spoon of sattu filling, and seal into a smooth ball.
- Roast the litti directly over coals (traditional) or in a 220°C (425°F) oven for 25–30 minutes, turning, until cracked and deep golden.
- For chokha, char the eggplant, tomatoes and potatoes over flame or under a broiler until soft and smoky. Peel and mash with chopped onion, garlic, green chili, mustard oil, cilantro and salt.
- Dip the hot litti generously in ghee and serve alongside the chokha.
🔥 Char for the smoke
The smoky flavor is everything in chokha. Blacken the eggplant and tomatoes directly over a gas flame (or under a hot broiler) until the skins blister — that char is what makes it taste authentic.