Wheat flour balls stuffed with spiced sattu and baked over coals or in an oven — the iconic Jharkhand-Bihar preparation eaten with vegetable chokha and generous ghee.
Ingredients
For litti dough:
2 cups whole wheat flour (atta)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
Water — to knead a stiff dough
For sattu filling:
1 cup sattu (roasted gram flour)
1 tsp ajwain
2 green chillies — very finely chopped
1 tsp ginger — finely grated
2 tbsp mustard oil
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp kalonji (nigella seeds)
1/4 tsp red chilli powder
2 tbsp fresh coriander
Salt to taste
2 to 3 tbsp water to bind
Ghee — generous amount for dunking
Method
Make dough: combine atta, salt and ajwain.
Add water and knead into a stiff non-sticky dough. Cover. Rest 20 minutes.
Make filling: combine all sattu filling ingredients.
Add 2 to 3 tbsp water to bring to a crumbly moist paste.
Divide dough into 8 balls. Flatten one ball in your palm.
Place 2 heaped tbsp sattu filling in the centre. Bring edges up and seal completely. Smooth into a round ball.
Oven method: bake at 200°C for 30 to 35 minutes, turning once, until evenly golden-brown.
Coal method: place directly on hot ash, turning every 5 minutes for 20 to 25 minutes until charred and cooked through.
Dip each hot litti in ghee immediately after baking.