Litti and a Century!

After what seems to be time that went by in a flash, here I am with my 100th post. Co-incidentally today happens to be exactly four months from when I posted my first recipe. Through the thrill of receiving the first comment, the sense of achievement of getting a complex traditional recipe right, the joy of making great new friends, the sense of humility when someone tried out a recipe and it turned out great, learning great new recipes from all my awesome fellow bloggers, the occasional anonymous visitor that likes a dish and makes your day, it has been out and out an joy-ride.
Hubby deserves a special mention. He is the one who keeps the show going between tasting my dishes, taking awesome pictures and being my 24 x 7 technical support :) Thanking him would actually diminish the value that he adds to my efforts.
Now to the dish itself. When you think Bihari cuisine, Litti is arguably the first dish that comes to mind. Having its roots deep in Bihari culture, the humble litti has come to gain global popularity. It is basically a crispy roasted dough ball stuffed with a spicy tangy filling made of Sattu. Sattu is a flour made of roasted grams or chana. Mainly popular in Bihar and UP regions of India. It is often considered as a very low budget and nutritious meal full of fiber and protein. It is a favorite and staple at almost all bihari homes. Litti traditionally served dipped in ghee with a side of either aloo/baigna chokha or tomato chutney.
One memory which is strongly attached to this dish is whenever we used to go to our grandparents' place. Imagine littis and chokha made of potatoes and eggplant fresh from your farm, all roasted in your backyard on a cool winter evening over an open coal fire. Can you smell it yet!  What made it more fun was making the event like a picnic with all my cousins and having a ball of a time. Our Daadi whom I fondly used to call 'Maa' would be the ring leader driving us all.
Time has since flown, I miss grandma now but even today when I sit in my patio on a cold rainy evening, I still sometimes can smell the aroma of those littis roasting on that open coal fire...

Ingredients:
For the filling -
Sattu ..................................... 2 cups
Onion .................................... 1 medium very finely chopped
Green chilly ............................ 4 finely chopped
Garlic .................................... 6 fat cloves
Ginger ................................... 1'' finely chopped
Carom and nigella seeds .............. 1 1/2 tsp
Cilantro leaves ......................... 2 tsp chopped fine
Lemon juice ............................ 2 tblsp or to taste
Salt ...................................... to taste
Pickle oil or mustard oil............... 4 tblsp
For the shell:
Atta or whole wheat flour ..................... 4 cup
Baking soda ...................................... 2 pinches
Carom and nigella seeds ....................... 1 tsp
Salt ............................................... 1 tsp
Oil ................................................ 5 tblsp
Water for kneading


Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F.
2. First make the filling by mixing all the filling ingredients, add few tsps of water or oil if it appears too powdery to make it manageable.
3. For the shell, take flour in a large bowl, add salt, carom and nigella seeds and baking soda. Mix well. Add oil and desired amount of water to make a firm and smooth dough (much stiffer than chapati dough). Knead well for 3-4 minutes.
4. Make a ball from the dough, about the size of a golf ball. Flatten into a 4" diameter circle, place about 2 tblsp of the sattu filling in the center, bring the edges up and cover and seal. Remove the extra dough that may crown on top. Keep aside covered. Repeat with the remaining dough.
5. Arrange the balls about an inch apart in a non-stick baking tray lined with tinfoil and greased with ghee. Bake for 40 - 45 minutes or until golden brown. Keep an eye as every oven is different.
6. Take out of the oven and allow to cool slightly till it is manageable. Break it slightly from the top, pour a teaspoon of ghee inside and serve along with your favorite side. You can pick from baigan bharta, tomato chutney, potato curry and/or achaar. ENJOY!

Notes:

1. Traditionally littis are made over an open coal fire but for convenience I bake them in my oven. They are even sometimes deep fried but again I prefer the oven roasted ones. If you prefer deep frying however, make a slightly smaller ball and flatten it slightly before deep frying.

 

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