Litti Chokha and Education for all!!

I really dont know when to stop talking and it has led me to some sticky situtations in life and this time it took me to Bihar!! The place really tested P and me and we both came back with our throats screwed up for a long long time. We went there to do research on an unbelievable project which gives Education for all a whole new meaning by taking schools to the heart of the slums!! We loved what we saw and heard from parents and children but came back to our hotel room every evening covered in dust and trying to cough all the crap out of our lungs. However, beneath the smog and pollution we discovered a delicacy!!  Delightful little globes full of delicious sattu with a gralicky potato and brinjal gravy!! Sattu is a chick pea powder that finds its way into every Bihari meal.

I decided to try it out myself..with a little help from Mom, I brought Bihar into my kitchen. You should try it too.

What you need:

  

For the dough (covering):

• 1 1/2 cup of flour (we used whole wheat)
• 3/4 cup of curd
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp of refined oil

For the stuffing

• 1 cup Sattu
• 4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
• Small piece of ginger, finely chopped
• 3 green chillies, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup corriander, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1 tbsp cumin seeds
• 2 tbsp oil from a pickle
• salt to taste

How:

For the dough/ covering

• Sieve the flour and refined oil salt

• Knead the dough well with the curd and make a stiff dough.

• Cover with a wet cloth and keep aside.

For  the stuffing

• Put the Sattu  in a bowl along with all the other ingredients and mix well. In case the stuffing is bit dry, you can add little water

Assembling

• Make 6-7 balls out of the dough, flatten each ball a little in the palm of your hand and make depression for the stuffing

• Pre heat an oven to 200 deg C

• Fill a little of the stuffing in the depression and lift the sides to cover and flatten to make a nice globe.

• Put them in the pre-heated oven and cook for 40-45 mins. At about 20 mins, open the oven and turn the litti to the other side and let them become a nice golden brown.

Eat these beauties just as they are will a dollop of butter melting on them or with Chokha (just a baingan ka barta with some potatoes)as the Biharis do. They are fabulous either way!!