Yesterday ,I went for a full day course on wine. Recently I had seen a post from a friend on “Litti Chokha” and my gut feeling said that this place is close by. The session was very intense and interesting. It also continued for a longer time than we expected. By the time it finished , my head was working like a Dan Brown fiction , to find these gems from the Eastern belt of our country. When I figured out the place , to my amazement it was right opposite to the institute. It was not a ‘discovery’ it was a moment of ‘realization’.

The moment I realized, I sprinted through the traffic of Sarjapur road (still too busy on a Saturday evening) and reached the vendor to check if my deduction was right , leaving R on the other side of the road , still wondering where did I go.

When I reached the spot the guy was fanning the fire and turning the littis to see that they are roasted properly on all sides. I felt that I have known this place forever. I quickly ordered for a plate. He informed me that a plate contained four which will be a bit more for me. I liked the fact that he cared about this , so that I don’t have to waste. As R was still trying to cross the road and not by my side,his suggestion seemed reasonable. I still insisted on 4. He handed over the paper plate after dipping all the litti’s in ghee and also put the green chutney through a bottle which we otherwise see in the local Chinese eateries . Now this was an adaptation and better way too.

My eyes flashed a glimpse of the street vendor near Rani Rashmoni’s house perched on a wooden plank making litti’s oblivious to his surrounding. In fact, gauging my love for litti-chokha my sister in law got me a few from her favorite vendor from the ‘office-para’ of Calcutta.

By the time R reached me I was already handed over my plate and I think I also gobbled one … I couldn’t wait. The guy heard us speaking in bengali and when I asked for chilies ,he started conversation in bengali. On enquiring , he told me he is managing this street shop for the part 4 years.

Paying him was so easy … The #paytm sticker was flashing gleefully and regulars just came flashed the amount , accordingly he handed over the number of litties ! Life in #Bangalore is so convenient. We realize it

With the changing scenario , the diaspora where people from all over the country reach Bangalore and get amalgamated (including me) … Another thing has happened quietly … In 2008 – 2009 where it was so difficult to find popular evening snacks like Momo’s , kathi rolls etc in Bangalore , now not only can we find those, we can even find dishes like litti chokha too.

By the way if you have not yet tried those #healthy balls of joy – do try #littichokha wherever you get them in Bangalore and let me know.

For those who still don’t know about this regional dish – Litti is a dough made of wheat and stuffed with sattu (roasted gram flour) , it is roasted until cooked and then dipped into pure desi ghee to enhance the taste. The accompaniment “Chokha” is a blend of brinjal or eggplant or potatoes and tomatoes and a lot of spices. The beauty of Chokha is that it is not cooked like a regular sabzi rather it is a roasted vegetable mix. The mustard oil added in this , brings it’s own pungency which we East Indians relish.