L12 · Lunch · Bihar and Jharkhand
Litti Chokha (Baked Litti)
Bihar's best-known meal: whole-wheat balls stuffed with spiced sattu, baked until crusty and served with chokha, a smoky mash of roasted brinjal, tomato and potato.
- Region
- Bihar
- Diet
- Strictly vegetarian, egg-free
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 40 min
- Time, as written
- Prep 30 min · Cook 40 min
- Serves
- 3 (3 littis plus chokha each)
- Difficulty
- Moderate
- Status
- Traditional; oven-baked rather than cooked over coals, and brushed with ghee rather than dipped
- Good for
- Weekend lunch, gatherings
Nutrition
Good source| Per serving | kcal | Protein | Carbs | Fat | Sat fat | Fibre | Sugars | Protein per 100 kcal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full plate: 3 littis and chokha | 555 | 19 g | 78 g | 17 g | 6 g | 21 g | 5 g | 3.5 g |
Headline figures are for the full plate as served, with its stated roti, rice or bhakri; the dish alone is shown in the table.
Tier: Good source. Dipping littis in ghee in the traditional way adds 90–180 kcal per serving. IFCT has no sattu entry; Bengal gram dal values are used. Values checked against IFCT 2017 on 14 Oct 2026.
Values are estimates calculated from the listed ingredients and quantities (IFCT 2017 and product labels), not laboratory measurements. How the numbers were calculated.
Ingredients
Dough
Filling
Chokha
To finish
Method
Knead the dough ingredients until smooth. Rest 15 minutes.
Mix the filling ingredients; it should hold together when pressed.
Divide dough into 9 balls. Flatten each into a 7 cm cup, fill with sattu mixture, seal and roll smooth.
Bake at 200 °C for 30–35 minutes, turning halfway, until deep golden and hollow-sounding when tapped. (Or cook in a covered appe pan on low for 25 minutes, turning often.)
For chokha, roast the brinjal and tomato directly over a gas flame, turning, until charred all over and soft (10–12 minutes). Cool, peel and mash with potato, mustard oil, onion, garlic, chilli, coriander and salt.
Crack each litti slightly, brush with ghee and serve with chokha.
Protein optimisation
- Where the protein comes from
- Sattu supplies 9 g per serving, wheat 7.5 g, vegetables 3 g.
- Boost
- Serve with 100 g curd (+3.5 g protein, +60 kcal), or increase sattu to 150 g (+2 g protein per serving).
Variations, serving and storage
- Regional
- Jharkhand style — serve with a ghugni of dried peas alongside the chokha.
- Substitution
- Roasted besan (see B10) if sattu is unavailable.
- Storage
- Littis keep 2 days refrigerated, re-crisped in the oven; chokha keeps 1 day.
- Food safety
- Chokha contains raw onion and garlic in oil; refrigerate promptly.
- Meal prep
- Shape littis ahead and refrigerate up to 12 hours before baking.
Allergens
Gluten (wheat), milk (ghee)
Labels: Good source · High fibre · Soy-free · Whey-free · No added sugar