This traditional Bihari Food item was used by bullock-cart drivers on long journey, which is easy to make and can be prepared anywhere without use of any special utensils. The same has been depicted in movie “Teesri Kasam” during the song “Chalat musafir moh liya re pinjre waali muniya”.
Ingredients
For dough
- Wheat flour (atta) – 2 cup
- Yogurt (dahi) – 4 tablespoon
- Water – 1/2 cup
For Filling
- Sattu – 1 cup ( gram flour made by fried gram in hot sand)
- Garlic( chopped ) – 4 cloves
- Ginger( chopped ) – 1 tablespoon
- Green chilies ( chopped ) – 2
- Coriander leaves ( chopped ) – 2 tablespoon
- Onion seeds ( Mangrella ) – 1/2 teaspoon
- Thyme ( Ajwain ) – 1/2 teaspoon
- Lemon juice – 2-3 teaspoon
- Mango Pickle masala (achar) – 3 teaspoon
- Mustard oil – 2 tablespoon
- Salt to taste
To accompany
- Desi Ghee
- Aloo (potato) Chokha
- Baingan (brinjal) ka Bharta
- Mustard Sauce
- Hari Dhaniya (Fresh Coriander) ki Chutney
- Pudine (Mint) ki Chutney
Procedure:
- Mix all the filling ingredients with sattu. Add 1/4 cup water to make the stuffing moist and easy to fill. Keep aside.
- Add yoghurt , in flour. Mix lightly with finger tips with water knead it into stiff dough. Make balls out of dough of 2.5″ to 3″ diameter in size with hand.
- Stuff 2 to 3 teaspoon sattu filling in the center of each balls and close it from all sides.
- When all the littis are stuffed, pre-heat the oven to 375 F and put all the littis on a foil .
- Bake till one side is brown and 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 serve piping hot along with accompanying ghee, bharta, chutneys etc.
- Slightly break the outer coat and dip the whole ball in desi ghee and eat with chokha, bharta & chutneys!
Note that when bullock-cart drivers prepare this, they do not use oven. They prepare and collecte cowdung-cakes, burnt them and when the smoke went out, they put the litti balls and covered it fully so that it is baked properly thus providing an oven environment!
Recipe Contributed By:
Neeraj Sinha
Noida
India
Time Taken: 45 minutes