PM Modi relishes Litti Chokha - Why we love Bihar's delectable favourite

PM Modi relishes Litti Chokha - Why we love Bihar's delectable favourite

He made a surprise visit to Hunar Haat in Rajnath and interacted with the artisans

FPJ Web DeskUpdated: Wednesday, February 19, 2020, 05:43 PM IST
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Narendra Modi/ Twitter

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday made a surprise visit to 'Hunar Haat' at Rajpath here, where he interacted with artisans and relished 'litti-chokha' and 'kulhad' tea.

Modi, who was there for 50 minutes, ate 'litti-chokha', a dough ball made of whole wheat flour and stuffed with 'sattu', and paid Rs 120 for it. The dish is popular in Bihar, Eastern Uttar Pradesh and Jharkhand.

Is Bihar on Prime Minister Modi's mind? Well, Bihar is slated to go for polls in October this year. The Bihar elections hold significance for the BJP after it has failed to form a government in six states. After the BJP's defeat in Delhi elections, now, all eyes are on the Bihar elections.

What is Litti Chokha?

Litti Chokha is a delicacy from Bihar where the Litti is made of whole wheat flour, stuffed sattu (Black chana powder) and some herbs and spices. What brings flavour to the Litti is the way it is cooked. They are baked with the help of coal or cow dung cakes and topped with desi ghee.

Chokha is a mix of eggplant, onion, tomato, cumin powder, coriander, turmeric powder and some chillies.

Litti Chokha is a considered to healthy dish as it roasted and grilled and there is less oil involved in it.

History

Litti Chokha was eaten by peasants and farmers in Bihar before it gained popularity across the country. It was preferred by many considering it was cheaper and had cooling properties in it.

The dish is believed to be first cooked in Magadh Kingdom and was their staple food and later on became popular in Bihar. It became an important part of the meal during the war times as it was easy to prepare and would require less water to cook it. Litti Chokha was also people's favourite as it remains fresh for at least two days.

(Receipe by Hebbar's Kitchen)

INGREDIENTS

FOR DOUGH:

1½ cup wheat flour/atta

¼ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp ajwain / carom seeds

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp ghee / clarified butter

water for kneading

FOR STUFFING:

1 cup sattu / roasted gram flour

2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

1 chilli, finely chopped

½ tsp ginger garlic paste

½ tsp cumin / jeera

½ tsp kalonji / onion seeds / nigella seeds

¼ tsp ajwain / carom seeds

¼ tsp salt

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp mustard oil

FOR CHOKHA:

3 tomato

1 chilli, finely chopped

2 clove garlic, finely chopped

1 inch ginger, finely chopped

2 tbsp onion, finely chopped

2 tbsp coriander, finely chopped

1 tsp lemon juice

2 tbsp mustard oil

¼ tsp salt

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Pinch a small ball sized dough. press the edges and form a cup.

2. Further place a ball sized sattu stuffing in the centre.

3. Start pleating the dough, making sure the stuffing is secured well.

4. Pinch off excess dough and roll well.

5. Place the rolled litti in appe pan heated with oil. or preheat and bake in oven at 180 degree celcius for 45 minutes flipping in between.

6. Cover and cook on low flame for 10 minutes.

7. Flip over and cook both sides. cook for approx 30 minutes in total

8. Continue to cook until the litti turns golden brown from all the sides and cooked from inside.

9. Finally, litti is ready to serve with chokha and ghee.

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