Litti Chokha ~ A to Z Indian Breakfast Dishes

Litti Chokha is a complete meal on its own, popular in the Indian State of Bihar. Littis are wheat balls with Sattu stuffing. They mix Sattu with other spices and cook it in different ways.

The Littis are dough balls, stuffed with Sattu or Roasted chana dal powder, mixed with pickle masala and other spices. They stuff the Littis with Sattu, and cook over direct flame. The original method of cooking was typically over coal or wood many years ago. Now with the advancement of cooking methods, we have new ways to cook Littis.

Above all Littis are delicious baked balls!

These Littis are very similar to the Baati and Bafla. Dal Baati Churma is a dish from Rajasthan and Bafla is popular in Madhya Pradesh. In MP, they serve baigan bharta with Bafla.

Litti is popular in Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of Uttar Pradesh. They serve these Littis with a roasted side dish called the Chokha along with tomatoes, potato, and eggplant.

In parts of UP, you will find they serve these littis with nonveg dishes as well. The most significant step is dipping the hot Litti in melted ghee and again after over the crushed litti.

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Step By Step Pictures for making Litti Chokha

Ingredients Used in making Litti

Wheat Flour - We make the dough with Wheat flour flavoured with Ajwain and Ghee. The leavening agent is Baking Soda or Cooking Soda.

Stuffing - They prepare Sattu by powdering roasted chickpea or chana dal. They mix it with mixed with pickle masala along with garlic, ginger, green Chilies, and coriander leaves. We add oil to knead the powder to a ball-like consistency. If you are not able to form a ball, you can sprinkle water to gather the stuffing tight.

Making of the Littis

You can pinch out smaller balls, and roll them as balls. To begin with, we flatten the dough on the sides. We then place the stuffing in the center to enclose the balls well. Once you complete the dough with stuffing, you can proceed to cook it.

How to cook Litti

You can cook the Littis in different ways

Cooking the Littis in a Kadai - Once you make the littis, add cooking oil to the kadai and turn to low flame. Place the Littis in the kadai and ensure you drizzle oil all over the littis, cover with a lid. Cook over low flame for 10 minutes tossing the Littis to make sure you cook on all the sides.

Cooking in Kuli Paniyaram Pan - Sprinkle a few drops of oil into each dent/kuli and place the balls in it and cover with the lid. Drizzle a few drops of oil over it and cook for 10 mins. Cook the Litti on all sides by turning the Litti on all sides. Once the Littis are done on all sides, increase the flame to cook on high flame for a few minutes. Make sure you are not burning the littis.

Cooking on the direct flame - Drizzle a few drops of oil over the uncooked Litti, and place it directly over the flame. With a tong turn the Litti over the flame to expose it to the flame. It takes about 7 to 10 mins when you make it over direct flame.

Baked Littis - Place the stuffed Littis in a baking tray lined with parchment paper. Bake for 15 mins preheated oven at 175 C.

Serving the Littis

After cooking the Littis in different methods immediately immerse in melted Ghee and toss all over, remove to a serving bowl.

The Littis are served with Chokhas. The Biharis make different Chokhas and call it Tamatar Chokha, Tamatar Pyaz Chokha, Aloo Chokha, and Baigan Chokha. There are versions where all these are mixed and served together as well.

I have already made Tamatar Pyaz Chokha. Today I made the simpler version of Tamatar Chokha.

After immersing the hot litti in melted ghee, the littis are slightly pressed on top to crushed, then you can again pour hot ghee over it and serve the chokha over it.

Dry sattu is mixed with chopped garlic and ginger and some Indian dry species to give a tangy flavour, and after the litti is baked it is broken into pieces, and hot ghee is poured all over it. It is best served with raw onions soaked in lemon and vinegar, chokha (spicy mashed potatoes), and chicken/meat gravy.

Recipe

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How to make Litti

Litti Chokha is a complete meal on its own originated from the Indian State of Bihar. Littis are wheat balls stuffed with Sattu that is flavored with other spices and is cooked in different ways.

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Bihar

Keyword Litti Chokha

By Cook Method Stovetop

Occasion Weekend Special

By Diet Healthy Recipes

Dish Type Combo Dishes, Indian Flatbread

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Total Time 50 minutes minutes

Servings 8 numbers

Author Srivalli

Ingredients

For the Outer Layer

• 2 cups Wheat Flour
• 1 tsp Carrom Seeds / Ajwain
• Salt to taste
• Water warm to knead
• 1/4 tsp Baking Soda

For the Stuffing

• 1 cup Fried Gram Powder / Sattu
• Salt to taste
• Handful Coriander leaves
• 2 nos Green Chillies
• 2 tsp Cooking Oil
• 4 cloves Garlic crushed
• 2 tsp Pickle Masala
• 1 tsp Lemon Juice

Instructions

For making the dough

• In a wide bowl, take the wheat flour along with ghee, salt, carom seeds, baking soda, add warm water slowly and knead into a soft dough. Cover and keep the dough aside.

For the Stuffing

• Take the sattu in a bowl, add salt, crushed ginger, pickle masala, green coriander, finely chopped green chilies, oil, 1 tsp Lemon juice.
• Mix all the ingredients well. If you feel the stuffing is dry, sprinkle some water over it and try it hold it to see if it holds its shape.

Making the Litti

• Grease your palm and pinch out small balls of dough. Flatten on the sides all over, making sure the sides are thin and place a teaspoon of stuffing in the center.
• Start closing from the sides inside and enclose it well to seal the stuffing. Once done, place on the plate and continue with the rest.
• Once you are done with all the litti, you can cook it in different ways.

Cooking the Littis in a Kadai

• Once the littls are made, add cooking oil to the kadai and turn to low flame. Place the Littis in the kadai and ensure you drizzle oil all over the littls, cover with a lid and cook over low flame for 10 minutes, tossing the Littis to make sure it is cooked all the sides.

Cooking in Kuli Paniyaram Pan

• Sprinkle few drops of oil into each dent/kuli and place the balls in it and cover with the lid. Drizzle a few drops of oil over it and cook for 10 mins, while you keep turning the Litti to get cooked on all sides. When you see the littis are cooked on all sides, increase the flame and cook on high flame for a few minutes, ensuring the littis are not burnt.

Cooking on direct flame

• Drizzle few drops of oil over the uncooked Litti, and place it directly over the flame and with a tong turn it all over to get it cooked well. It takes about 7 to 10 mins when you make it over direct flame.

Baked Littis

• Place the stuffed Littis in a baking tray lined with a parchment paper. Bake for 15 mins preheated oven at 175 C.

Serving the Littis

• The Littis cooked in different methods, are immediately immersed in melted Ghee and tossed all over, remove to a serving bowl.
• The Littis are served with Chokhas. The Biharis make different Chokhas and call it Tamatar Chokha, Tamatar Pyaz Chokha, Aloo Chokha, and Baigan Chokha. There are versions where all these are mixed and served together as well.
• After immersing the hot litti in melted ghee, the littis are slightly pressed on top to crushed, then you can again pour hot ghee over it and serve the chokha over it.

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This was part of the A to Z Indian Breakfast series I did, do check for the entire roundup of A to Z Indian Breakfast dishes.

If you are looking for different options for Indian Breakfast like pooris and feel adventurous about making it in alphabets, check out the entire collection of A to Z Indian Pooris.