Thursday, March 5, 2009

baati chokha

first of all i regret the poor picture quality as i made this baati chokha for dinner , so it is night time clicking, secondly i always click pics with my cellphone cam..............:D:D:D


i am really very exited to post this recipe on the blog........already regretting why i didn't post it right when i cooked it........it's only last week i made this exotic baati chokha n have been trying to post but......due to some or the other reason it got stalled..............now when i am ready to write about it................it gives me the taste of baati again.........i can smell it again.........

this is a famous and much in demand eastern utter pradesh dish, which i got to taste when we went for a picnic at sarnath.........i remember we were recently tranfered to banaras from chandigarh n we kids were unaware of this strange looking delicacy...........thpse were the days when friends n family used to go for picnic almost every sunday...........in chandigarh rose garden was the sunday venue but in banaras there were not many places where a good picnic can be arranged........my dad was still so enthusiastic about picnics that he used ti arrange them in sarnath, which was a far away place from our home.............but one very special thing about sarnath was that this baati chokha was the favorite picnic food there, and people used to prepare this on the spot.........yes , that was new for us kids, we had ony saw our parents packing homemade food baskets n carrying to rose garden or rock garden in chandigarh.............we didn't have any idea then that food can be prepared on the spot.............so i was telling that sarnath had this unique thing and one could get all the paraphernalia of baati making there .........the dungcakes to light up fire (to bake the baatis on fire), the brinjals , potatoes n all the ginger garlic etc. needed for the chokha..........also the atta , ghee , sattu , achar n what not..........even you could get helpers ( men n women both) who would light the fire n make everything in front of your eyes............of course they would charge for thier labour and expect generous tip ........but it was an awesome experience.........it was only then we kids were introduced to baati or litti as it is called there...............we came to know that when it is being prepared, the aroma of sattu being mixed n baati being baked was enough to make anybody hungry...............we used to eat enormous amount of these littis......

we all so used to love it that we demanded it being made in the home............my mother then started making fried baatis at home ............and when our home was being constructed........we found a lot of open space and wood shavings to light up fire............my grandmother was so efficient at lighting up a fire suitable for this........she used to make awesome baatis.........as these ball shaped baatis have to be cooked in such a way that they don't get burnt and become hard.......not everybody can make soft n perfectly baked baatis........that taste is still in my memory n it has become kind of a comfort food for me.......now i make it in a more healthy n convenient way..........


i have done a lot of hit n trials to perfect my baati making and now i have become famous for my microwave baatis.......they are easier to make n healthier as i use least amount of ghee.....

it is worth mentioning that i have been in the state of jharkhnd after marriage for 6-7 years and this baati is thier cuisine too.........so i learnt a lot of things there about it's masala n all.........a boiled version of baati also i learnt there............

i made the boiled as well as microwaved baati this time with chokha which is a classic accompaniment to baati........usually brinjals and potatoes are roasted over fire or grilled in ovens for making the chokha , but i ususally make it by boiling the veggies..............a little difference of taste is there but it is light n tasty in it's own way.........

ingredients for baati

whole wheat flour
water to make a dough
ghee for rubbing in the dough ( i didn't use any ghee, it is optional)


ingredients for the masala filling

sattu ( roasted gramflour) 2 cups
masala from mango pickle 2 tbsp
ajwain seeds ( bishops wed) 1 tsp
nigella seeds 1 tsp
salt to taste
onions finely chopped 2 nos.
ginger 2 inch piece chopped finely
garlic 20 cloves chopped finely
green chillies 10 nos. chopped finely
coriander leaves chopped finely 1/2 cup

all these ingredients in bold are to be taken in equal quantities for the chokha also

apart from these( for chokha)
brinjals medium sized 2 nos.
potatoes medium sized 2-3 nos.
tomatoes large sized
1 tsp of mustard oil
salt to taste

preparation

1. a stiff dough has to be prepared by mixing wheat flour and water........traditionally ghee is also rubbed into the dough to get soft baatis but i don't use ghee as these come out soft even without ghee when cooked in microwave..........the dough will rest for about 1/2 an hour.

2. a mixture of the sattu is prepared by mixing all the ingredients for it, rubbing it by palms , so that a homogenous crumbly texture is formed......traditionally mustard oil is rubbed into this mixture too but i don't do that.......alter natively i add 1/2 a cup of water and rub it with hands to amke a crumbly mix........this mixture or masala can be stored into the fridge for 3-4 days and can be used in several ways..............like i mix it with other boiled veggies to make instant kababs.....

3. make small portions of the dough and stuff equal amounts of the sattu masala into each portion and shape like a round ball......it can be flattened for convenience ..........make stuffed balls from all the mixture and arrange 10-12 balls on a greased ceramic plate and microwave on high for 6 minutes.......this is for the roasted version........just after taking them out from the microwave, roast them on direct gas flame like this....



actually the batis are cooked in microwave and the roasting is to spot them n bring that roasted aroma.........after this apply ghee on each baati n serve immediately....


for making the boiled version water is boiled in a large pan and all the stuffed batis are thrown into the boiling water...........they will come on the top ( float) when cooked .......just keep moving them lightly untill they float on the water.........take out and proceed for a tadka..............heat ghee in a pan.......it can be 1 tbsp to a cup of ghee.........throw in some asafoetida and cumin seeds n let them crackle........now slowly slip all the boiled batis into it and keep turning till all of them are coated with jeera flavor.........if more ghee is used it can be made crisp by frying till pinkish brown........as required..........these pics demonstrate the process....these are boiled batis frying in the pan.....



and now the finished batis with cumin seeds .........



for making the chokha just boil the brinjal, potatoes and tomatoes in a pressure cooker together............remove the peels n mash them all together with chopped onion, ginger, garlic, green chillies, coriander leaves............season with salt and a dash of raw mustard oil n it is ready to serve....


10 comments:

  1. gorgeous ..surely going to try my hand on litti chokha

    ReplyDelete
  2. thanx a ton fr ur reciepe wanted to make battis in microwave but din knw d right temp. n mode. hope dey turn out well :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. How did I miss this?!! Thanks again Sangeeta!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thank you Shri.
    It has always been a favorite for us :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Good receipe. The receipe actually is from Bhojpur region of Bihar.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Thanks Anonymous.
    I never knew which region of Bihar this recipe belongs to. But it is widely popular in eastern UP too , i actually learnt the boiled version from a Bihari family.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Excellent recipe!I got an indepth information about the two variations of litti(microwaved and boiled).Very well narrated:)

    ReplyDelete
  8. hey could you please mention the quantity of wheat flour required for the baati dough

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Three cups of wheat flour should be fine Anonymous. It depends on how much sattu you are stuffing into each litti.

      Delete
  9. Its good .Which type of microwave is needed?

    ReplyDelete