Bati Chokha or Litti Chokha

Choka bati or Litti Chokha is a typical Banarasi dish, eaten by people who labour in the fields. The spherical bati — rather tough on the jaws — is made of flour and stuffed with chana dal, originally the bati was baked in the soil and took a few days to cook. The choka is a combination of mashed potatoes and char grilled aubergines. One can find this dish in Bihar however with the name of Litti Chokha which is as famous as a burger in America.



Bati

1-Ingredients for Bati

1. 1- For Atta (flour) dough:



2. 1½ cup: Whole wheat atta (Littis are more crunchy if made with maida)



3. ¾ to 1 cup: Regular or fat-free yogurt (dahi)(Make dough from atta using yogurt and NOT water. The dough should be soft and fully kneaded. Keep aside covered.)
   

2- For Filling:

1. 1 cup: Sattu (a special gram flour)



2. 4 cloves: Garlic, finely chopped



3. 1 inch: Ginger, finely chopped



4. 2 or more: Green chilies, finely chopped



5. ½ cup: Fresh dhaniya (cilantro) leaves, finely chopped



6. ½ tsp: Mangrella (nigella or onion seed)



7. 2 tbsp: Mustard



8. 1 tsp: Ajwain (thyme)



9. 1 tbsp: Lemon juice



10. 1 or 2 tbsp: Mircha achar masala (fillings from the red chili pickle)



11. Salt to taste
    
    

Method

• Mix all the filling ingredients with sattu together nicely.



• Add ¼ to ½ cup water to make the stuffing moist and easy to fill.



• Now make 8 balls from the atta (flour) dough.



• Dust each ball with dry atta and make a patty roughly 2.5" to 3" diameter in size with hand. You don't need a belan (rolling pin) for this.



• Stuff 2 to 3 tsp sattu filling in the center of the patty and close it from all sides.



• When all the littis are stuffed, pre-heat the oven to 375 F and put all the litties on a foil and bake till one side is brown or black spots come on the litti surface.



• Then turn over the litti and bake for few more minutes until that side is brown as well.



• Take out and dip in pure ghee or butter and serve with achar or dhaniya (cilantro) chutney and/or baigan ka bhurta (mashed and prepared egg-plant).

Chokha

Ingredients for chokha

1. 2 : Brinjals (large, seedless, healthy)



2. 3/4 cup: Onions (finely chopped)



3. 1/2 cup: Tomato (finely chopped)



4. 1 tsp: Garlic (grated)



5. 1 tsp: Ginger (grated)



6. 2 : Red chillies (dried crushed)



7. 1 tsp: Cumin seeds



8. 1 tsp: Red chilli powder



9. 1 tsp: Dhania powder



10. 1/2 tsp: Turmeric powder



11. 1/2 tsp: Cinnamon-clove powder



12. 1/2 tsp: Punjabi garam masala powder



13. Salt to taste



14. 2 tsp: Lemon juice



15. 2 tsp: Ghee



16. 2 tsp: Oil

Method

1. Hold the brinjals with stems over fire, to burn skin. (Or run a few drops of oil, microwave in a loose-lid bowl for 3 minutes).
   When skin blackens, hold under running water.



2. Skin will not blacken if microwaved. Therefore peel.



3. Gently scrub off skin. Mash brinjals to a puree.



4. Heat oil in a heavy kadai. Add ginger garlic and stirfry for a minute.



5. Add onions, all dry masalas, except red chilli powder, stirfry for a minute more.



6. Add tomatoes, brinjals, salt, lemon juice and stir.Simmer for five minutes.



7. Take in serving bowl.



8. Just before serving, heat ghee in a small pan.



9. Hold pan over bowl, add chilli powder, and pour immediately over bhartha.



10. Do not allow the chilli powder to burn.



11. Garnish with chopped coriander.



12. Serve hot with Litti.