The Hunar Haat at India gate is gaining immense traction among food and culture enthusiasts. The festival hosting local artisans and craftsmen also has an interesting line-up of food stalls and pop-ups. On Wednesday afternoon, PM Modi paid a surprise visit to the festival and indulged his heart out on Litti Chokha. PM Modi posted a picture of himself in Twitter with the caption, "Had tasty Litti Chokha for lunch along with a hot cup of tea... #HunarHaat. He also shared a picture on Instagram with the caption, 'had excellent Litti Chokha for lunch. Have you tried this delicacy?'. Needless to say, the internet was abuzz with reactions.
Litti Chokha is a traditional delicacy of Bihar, it is also widely consumed in neighbouring regions like Jharkhand an Eastern UP, while litti is a dough ball made typically with whole wheat (atta) and stuffed with roasted sattu (chickpea flour and spices), chokha is a roasted vegetable mix.
Here are six facts you should know about this Bihari delicacy:
1. Litti is traditionally roasted over coal or cow dung cakes or wood and tossed with oodles of ghee before serving.
2. Litti shares an uncanny resemblance with baati, but is completely different in terms of taste and preparation.
3. Litti can also be savoured with yogurt, baigan bharta, alu bharta, and chutney.
4. Chokha is a mixed-vegetable preparation of roasted and mashed eggplant, tomato, and potato. It mostly has a semi-dry consistency.
5. The sattu stuffed within litti plays a determining role. Dry sattu is often mixed with garlic, ginger, lime juice and nigella seed for a more flavourful fare. Once the litti is baked, it is broken and served with lots of ghee.
6. Common accompaniments served with litti chokha are raw onions and lemon.
Are you slurping too? Try making the delicacy at home with this fabulous recipe!