Litti Chokha

Litti is a ball of wheat dough stuffed with sattu, roasted gram flour worked with mustard oil, ajwain, garlic, ginger and pickle masala, then baked directly in embers, traditionally of cow dung cakes, until the crust blackens and cracks. It is broken open, doused in ghee, and eaten with chokha, a mash of fire-roasted aubergine, potato and tomato with mustard oil, green chilli and coriander. The whole dish is built around roasting rather than frying, and it keeps for a day or more without refrigeration, which is why it travelled well and became the food of migrant Bihari workers across India.

What you actually see

• The ember baking - dough balls cooked directly in cow-dung or coal fires.
• The sattu filling - roasted gram flour with mustard oil and spice.
• The chokha - fire-roasted aubergine, potato and tomato mashed with oil.
• The ghee - melted over the broken litti before eating.

When to go

October to March for comfortable weather; the dish is eaten year-round and is at its best in winter. Roadside stalls across Bihar serve it from morning into the night.

Honest expectations

Traditional cow-dung firing puts some visitors off, though coal is common now. The dish is dry and heavy without enough ghee. Hygiene at roadside stalls varies.

Nearby

Patna, Nalanda and Bodh Gaya all have established stalls.