A very different type of cook… litti chokha

caliking

You won't find this on any menu this side, but it's a very traditional cook/meal in Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand and  Bihar in India. Heard of it, figured it would be fun to do on the egg, and decided to give it a whirl.

The "chokha" (sort of like baingan bhartha)- grill tomatoes and eggplant, then peel the skins. Mash it all up with ginger, garlic, onions, cilantro, green chilies, and a drizzle of mustard oil. 





Recipe calls for "sattu" (roasted chickpea flour), which I couldn't find at the Indian stores. So, started with roasted chickpeas, and made some.






You make a soft dough of sorts with the sattu, plus other stuff... onions, cilantro, garlic, Thai chilies, ginger, kalonji (nigella seeds), ajwain, salt, "achar masala" (Indian "pickles"; homemade here, from green/raw mango), a smidge of sugar. The sattu mix was tasty enough to eat by itself. 



For the "litti" - Make wheat dough, and stuff with some of the sattu mix. Kind of like a dumpling or bao, but not as leavened. Its supposed to turn out crunchy/crispy. 


The litti grilled/baked in the egg. Traditionally, these are cooked buried in the embers of the dried cow dung cakes. so i dropped 'em on the coals, cave man style,  for a few seconds.








Plated up - homemade mint cilantro chutney, chokha, "salad" ( red onions, lime juice, cayenne, salt, chaat masala), litti, and "panchratan"  (five jewels, ie. 5 types of lentils) dal cooked by caliqueen. 





The litti are dunked in warm ghee, then split, and more ghee is drizzled over the inside. The litti can either be crumbled into the dal, or eaten with some dal scooped on to it. Or, scoop up some chokha. Then, a bite of chutney, and a bite of the onion salad +/- the green chile. 

This isn't something I've cooked before (the dal, mint cilantro chutney, onion salad  are in regular rotation), so wasn't entirely sure where it would land. I don't know where to start with how farkin' delicious this was! So many flavors coming together, without crowding each other out. And, distinctly  different flavors that are not usually dished up by Indian restaurants, as they typically serve northern, western, or southern Indian food.

Definitely worth making again








 

6baluts

- That is a very nice cook @caliking.  

- I am pretty sure I could have demolished that whole meal.

johnmitchell

Good grief !!!!! That sounds really interesting. Impressive as always 👏👏

lkapigian

Delicious!

The Cen-Tex Smoker

Awesomeness. As usual. Wow. 

lousubcap

I got tired just reading about the entire process.  As always, off the charts and nailed it.

Quite the talent on display right there.  Props for the "caveman!"

Edit to fix fat finger spelling.

Photo Egg

That is killer!
So much color and flavor just looking at the photos.

caliking

lousubcap said:

I got tired just reading about the entire process.  As always, off the charts and nailed it.

Quite the talent on display right there.  Props for the "caveman!"

Edit to fix fat finger spelling.

I figured the caveman part would catch your eye :smile) 

caliking

Photo Egg said:

That is killer!
So much color and flavor just looking at the photos.

Thanks. This really was tasty. Partly because I had not eaten this before, and partly because there was just so happening on the plate!

Canugghead

Wow but not surprised, so much going on.

Sattu brings back fond memories of growing up back home. Long before it became the new superfood it was (still is?) the main staples of labourers for energy boost at low cost. Bonus points for making from scratch, we would just settle for besan

I don't use the Grillgrates often enough, need to remedy that.

Love the army/prison/school canteen compartment tray. If I was a vegetarian murderer on death row that's what I'd order before the last rites 

Foghorn

I sent the link for this to my daughter.   She's wondering if you have any leftovers.  This looks awesome.

alaskanassasin

Nice cook @caliking!

Canugghead

Aha, remember this thread by @GrateEggspectations?
https://eggheadforum.com/discussion/1217053/roasted-chickpeas

I failed to roast the chickpeas properly and turned it into "Sattu" with Vitamix, woohoo! Just tasted it and still good after almost five years 

Buckwoody Egger

Wicked smart and great cook to share— thank you 

caliking

Foghorn said:

I sent the link for this to my daughter.   She's wondering if you have any leftovers.  This looks awesome.

Otherwise known as "Monday lunch"

Just made a few of the litti, as this was a test run. If she has any Bihari friends, they will fall over when she tells them she knows about litti chokha. 

caliking

Canugghead said:

Wow but not surprised, so much going on.

Sattu brings back fond memories of growing up back home. Long before it became the new superfood it was (still is?) the main staples of labourers for energy boost at low cost. Bonus points for making from scratch, we would just settle for besan

I don't use the Grillgrates often enough, need to remedy that.

Love the army/prison/school canteen compartment tray. If I was a vegetarian murderer on death row that's what I'd order before the last rites 

Thanks!

Sattu is still very much "poor man's food" back home. Growing up, I used to walk by a chap daily, who sold sattu to  laborers and rickshaw pullers (both groups usually Bihari) at lunch time. Pops would occasionally get some, when he wanted a quick, easy lunch. You can also mix sattu in water/buttermilk/milk, with some spices, and drink it. For some reason, it is more of a thing in UP and Bihar, not so much in Bengal. 

This was probably the first time I've eaten sattu. I haven't figured out what the difference in taste/flavor would be vs. besan, but worth trying some time. 

The thali is my go-to. I'm picky about food mixing together in one plate, and the sections in this kind of thali are perfect for me. 

And, yes, you should use the Grillgrates more! I love them, and use them nearly every cook now. 

GrateEggspectations

Incredible. Labour intensive, but it sure looks like it paid off!

kl8ton

I certainly had to stop by to see what a " different cook" was for you. You did not disappoint. Fantastic!