Back then, eating fried food was an indulgence one had while entertaining friends and relatives. People were more healthy eating food cooked over open fire. Pure ghee was the preferable for making chapattis, sweets or snacks. Women spent hours in the kitchen over chula and food had that peculiar taste of smoke.
Now, we can enjoy such traditional food during food festivals, or if we go to villages or create such atmosphere at home.
I had this opportunity of having a traditional Litti Chokha when I went for 2-days out-of-Mumbai trip with my friends.
The cooks were arranged, a fireplace was organised in the open veranda, surrounded by greenery and cool breeze and sound of droplets of heavy rains.
I didn’t understand what was all this excitement about, because I had never before tasted this dish except once in a restaurant, and I had not liked it at all.
Like it is always said, most of the food is enjoyed when you are in good mood, good company and good ambience.
So the formula was perfect.
Mood bhi, Mehfil bhi
So, here I was, in the smoke filled portico, watching people fan flames by adding dried manure and twigs. Everybody eagerly waited to eat Litti Chokha
Litti is the traditional Bihari dish made of flour dough, stuffed with spicy sattu (roasted gram flour) and Chokha is the side dish made of roasted ingredients that include brinjals, potatoes, sweet potatoes, tomatoes, garlic, pickle and spices.
Recipe:
1. Make the stiff flour dough by taking 1Cup of wheat flour, add 2tbsp ghee and salt as required.
2. Spicy Sattu is prepared by mixing crushed 1tsp cumin seeds and 1tsp fennel seeds to the roasted gram flour.
3. 1tsp Ajwain and 1tsp nigella seeds are then added.
4. Grate 7/8 garlic pods and 2inch ginger and add to it.
5.Add 4 finely chopped green chillies, 1tsp of red chilli powder and finely chopped coriander leaves.
6. Squeeze 2tbsp of lemon juice.
7. Finally add 2tbsp of mustard oil.
8. Mix it well. Sattu filling is ready.
9. Flour dough is stuffed with this spicy sattu, rounded up as small patties to seal from all sides
10. Litti is roasted in an open fire till charred.
11. Charred roasted Litti is slit and generous amount of pure ghee is poured on it.
12. It is allowed to soak in ghee for 5 minutes.
13. This is served with Chokha.
Chokha is the side dish made of all the roasted veggies like brinjals, potatoes, garlic, chillies, tomatoes, pickle and mustard oil. The mixture is mashed together and served.
While they roasted vegetables for chokha, some roasted veggies were served to us, as we sat by the fireplace. We feasted on roasted sweet potatoes, roasted tomatoes, roasted garlic, roasted potatoes that were served to us. It tasted delicious with salt, red pepper and thecha (a garlic-chilli chutney)
It was a memorable evening, having Litti Chokha over glass of wine, with conversations and laughter.
Check my recipe at my #Vlog at papadchai
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