Litti Chokha in Mumbai with Recipe

 Litti was something which I had tasted when very young. She then got married to my father, born in Karachi brought up later in Mumbai but born in Karachi, migrated to Mumbai India

A tremendous and the best cook I have come across, my mother loves feeding and making food. I still recollect, how she would raise the watchman in our bunglow, who is from Bihar to get crowding, Tagara to make the litti and chokha. Her sattu comes from Calcutta sent by my Aunt and then she mixes all the spices.

Living away from Bihar for so many years, I rarely speak in Magahi, my region’s dialect. The daughters grew up in and they talk in Hindi and English. But the family remains wedded to its traditions – on the dining table. I make litti chokha in Mumbai at least once a month in summer and every week in winter. If Bihar were a country, this two-dish combination would be its national food. Originating as a cheap meal for travellers, it can be rustled up quickly. Cooking it is an excuse to connect to Bihar.

Litti

• ½ kg atta flour
• ½ kg sattu (flour made of roasted chickpeas)
• 1tbsp carom seeds
• 1tbsp black salt
• Salt to taste
• Chopped green chillies (optional)
• I ginger root, peeled and sliced into julienne pieces
• 2 whole garlic, peeled and chopped
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp coriander leaves
• 250 gm ghee
• ½ tea cup water

Pour sattu flour in a bowl. Put in all ingredients – except atta – into the bowl and mix. Add enough water to make the mixture just sticky. Cover the bowl with a lid and keep it aside. Pour atta on a platter, add 1 tbsp ghee and knead firm dough. Make thick round patties from the dough. Press each patty at its center to make a deep depression. Scoop in the sattu mixture and seal it by pressing in the dough. Cook the patties in the tandoor, or bake them in the oven 200 degree Celsius for 47 minutes till golden brown. Heat ghee in karahi. Dip litti in ghee before serving. 

Chokha

• ½ kg aubergines
• 250 gm tomatoes
• 250 gm potatoes
• 2 medium-sized onions, chopped
• Chopped green chillies (optional)
• Salt to taste
• 1tbsp mustard oil
• 4-5 garlic cloves
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves