Avocado Litti - Instant Pot Mealthy Crisplid, Oven Baked, Air Fryer, Stove Top

Avocado Litti - is a stuffed roasted dough ball, cooked on low heat and served with some chokha or mashed vegetables. Traditionally, ghee is used to bind the litti dough. Here, I am sharing a recipe for avocado litti, uses avocado to bind the dough instead of ghee. Thus, making these litti VEGAN, LOW-FAT.

Litti is served with some Chokha, a dip prepared with roasted mashed veggies, some herbs and spices. Litti Chokha is a classic combination, litti served along with chokha is a complete meal in itself. 

 

 

 

WHAT IS LITTI CHOKHA

Litti-chokha is a popular dish from Indian states of Bihar, Jharkhand, and some parts of Uttar Pradesh. Litti, is a stuffed roasted dough ball, made with whole wheat flour and stuffed with a mixture prepared with SATTU (roasted chickpea flour), spices, herbs.

Chokha is a dish typically made by mashing roasted veggies, flavored with some fresh herbs and spices, and drizzled with some mustard oil, to give chokha a robust flavor. Chokha is traditionally made with eggplant (baingan), potatoes (aloo) or tomatoes. I have shared recipes for BAINGAN CHOKHA, TOMATO CHOKHA on my blog.

Pic Shown: Top left – GREEN GARLIC CILANTRO CHUTNEY, Top right –BAINGAN CHOKHA,Center – TOMATO CHOKHA, Bottom – AVOCADO LITTI

 

 

 

WHAT IS LITTI

Litti is a stuffed whole wheat flour dough ball, roasted on an open fire until cooked through and charred. Roasting the litti on an open flame, gives litti a smoky flavor. Once cooked, the litti is dipped into ghee, crushed and served with some chokha (mashed roasted veggies) - BAINGAN CHOKHA, TOMATO CHOKHA, DHABA (RESTAURANT) STYLE DAL FRY, GREEN GARLIC CILANTRO CHUTNEY, jaggery and some salad.

Traditionally, ghee (clarified butter) is used to bind the dough for litti. Today, I am sharing a recipe for low-fat, litti, using avocado instead of ghee to bind the dough. These avocado litti taste great, have same crispy, flaky texture from outside, soft and moist from inside. This avocado litti are an healthier option to a traditional ones and are also vegan.

INGREDIENTS FOR AVOCADO LITTI

FOR LITTI DOUGH

1 ½ CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

1 SMALL RIPE AVOCADO

¼ TEASPOON AJWAIN

¼ TEASPOON BAKING SODA

¼ TEASPOON SALT, ADJUST TO TASTE

WATER AS NEEDED, FOR KNEADING

FOR LITTI STUFFING (PITTI)

¾ CUP SATTU (ROASTED GRAM FLOUR)

½ INCH GINGER, CHOPPED OR GRATED

1-2 GREEN CHILI, ADJUST TO TASTE

¼ TEASPOON LEMON JUICE, ADJUST TO TASTE

2-3 TABLESPOON FRESH CILANTRO, CHOPPED

2-3 TABLESPOON GREEN GARLIC (OPTIONAL)

1 TABLESPOON MUSTARD OIL – For milder flavor use OLIVE OIL

1 TABLESPOON PICKLE MASALA, ADJUST TO TASTE

1-2 TABLESPOON WATER, AS NEEDED TO FORM, SOFT, CRUMBLY MIXTURE

SALT TO TASTE

HOW TO MAKE DOUGH FOR LITTI

In a mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients - flour, AJWAIN, baking soda and salt to taste. Mix well to combine all the dry ingredients. Keep it aside.

In another mixing bowl, add the avocado, using a fork mash the avocado to a smooth consistency.

 

 

Add the mashed avocado to the dry ingredients and mix well.

Take some flour into your hands and gently rub the flour mixture between your hands to form a breadcrumbs like texture. This is a important step, this makes the crust for litti flaky or “khasta”, as we call in Hindi.

 

 

Take a portion of flour mixture and press it between your fist, it should hold it's texture. As shown in the pic below.

 

 

 

Gradually, add water, as needed to form into a stiff dough . Do NOT over knead the dough. 

Cover the dough with a plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel, to prevent it from drying. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes.

 

 

HOW TO PREPARE STUFFING (PITTI) FOR LITTI

In a mixing bowl, add SATTU (roasted gram flour), ginger, green chili, lemon juice, fresh cilantro, green garlic (optional), oil, pickle masala and salt to taste.

Note: You can use any pickle of your choice. I have used mixed pickle.

 

 

Mix all the ingredients, to form into a semi-soft, crumbly texture mixture.

 

 

If the mixture is too dry, add few tablespoons of water and mix to form a semi-soft, mixture.

Note: The stuffing mixture is not too dry or too wet. It has a semi-soft, crumbly texture. 

 

 

 

HOW TO FOAM LITTI

Drizzle a teaspoon of oil on the rested dough and kneed the dough for couple of minutes.

Divide the dough into 12 equal portions. Roll the dough into small lemon size balls. Keep it aside.

Divide the stuffing mixture into 12 equal portions, make small balls with it. Keep it aside.

 

 

FIRST METHOD - HOW TO FOAM LITTI

Take a ball of dough, and using your fingers flatten the dough, into a circular shape, around 2 inches in diameter.

Shape it into a shallow cup, thin on the outer edges and slightly thick in the center.

Now place a ball of stuffing onto the flatten dough.

Bring the edges of the dough towards the center, while pressing the stuffing gently, seal the ball. Roll the ball between your palms to smooth it out.

Cover the litti with some plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel, to prevent the litti from drying.

 

 

SECOND METHOD - HOW TO FOAM LITTI

Sprinkle some flour on a rolling surface. Take a ball of dough, and using the rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle, around 2 inches in diameter.

Now place a ball of stuffing onto the flatten dough.

Bring the edges of the dough towards the center, while pressing the stuffing gently, seal the ball. Roll the ball between your palms to smooth it out.

Cover the litti with some plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel, to prevent the litti from drying.

Pic Shown: Stuffed Litti ready to be baked

 

 

 

AIR FRYER / INSTANT POT LITTI USING MEALTHY CRISPLID

You will need MEALTHY CRIPSLID,PARCHMENT PAPER, TONGS

IMPORTANT: Completely UNPLUG the Instant Pot unit, before proceeding with this recipe.

Line the crispy basket with some parchment paper. Place the litti in the crispy basket. Using a pastry brush, apply some oil on top of the litti. You can place around 6-8 litti.

Place the trivet (that comes with crisplid) inside the inner pot of Instant Pot. Place the crispy basket on top of the trivet. Now place the mealthy crisplid on top of the inner pot. Plug the crisplid and lower the handle.

Bake litti at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 25-30 minutes, turn them half way through, apply melted ghee or oil on the litti and continue to bake until the outer crust is nice and light brown in color.

Check if the litti are done. If required add few more minutes of cooking time in the increments of 1-2 minute(s).

Continue with the process, and finish making the remaining litti. This recipe yields around 12 litti.

 

 

OVEN BAKED LITTI

You will need 9*13 inches BAKING SHEET, PARCHMENT PAPER, TONGS

Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

Line baking tray with some parchment paper.

Arrange the litti onto a baking tray. Using a pastry brush, apply some oil on the litti.

Place the baking tray on the middle rack, bake for 25-30 minutes, turn them half way through, apply melted ghee or oil on the litti and continue to bake until the outer crust is nice and light brown in color.

Check if the litti are done. If required add few more minutes of cooking time.

Note: Please use timing as a guideline. Cooking time may vary depending upon the size of the litti and also different ovens, have different temperature settings. It took me around 26 minutes to bake these litti.

 

 

STOVE TOP LITTI USING ROTI GRILL

You will need ROTI JALI, TONGS

Place the roti grill on a stove top. Arrange the litti on the roti grill, and roast the litti on a medium to low heat.

Using the tongs, flip the litti every couple of minutes for even cooking.

Cook the litti from the side by holding the litti with the tongs at an angle so the sides get cooked.

Continue cooking the litti until it is cooked through and you see charred spots on litti. It will take around 8-10 minutes for the litti to cook.

 

 

 

OPTIONAL

Apply some melted ghee over the litti.

For Oven baked or Instant Pot litti, if you like charred spots on the litti, you can roast these litti directly on some flame (stove top or grill) for couple of minutes. This give litti a nice charred spots and a smoky flavor.

Serve Avocado litti with some BAINGAN CHOKHA, TOMATO CHOKHA, DHABA (RESTAURANT) STYLE DAL FRY, GREEN GARLIC CILANTRO CHUTNEY, jaggery and some salad. YUM!!!

PRO TIPS FOR THE BEST AVOCADO LITTI

Use ripe avocado, mash it to a smooth consistency and use it immediately for making the dough. The longer the avocado sits, it starts discoloration.

Use water as needed to bind the dough into a stiff dough. Remember the more moisture the dough has the longer it will take for it to cook (air fry or bake). We just want enough moisture to bind the dough and foam litti out of it.

Use Baking Soda NOT Baking Powder. Baking soda makes the outer crust of litti nice and flaky.

Make sure to seal the litti properly, by gently pressing the stuffing in the center.

The stuffing mixture is not too dry or too wet. It has a semi-soft, crumbly texture. 

Cover the litti with some plastic wrap or clean kitchen towel, to prevent the litti from drying.

Don’t forget to apply some oil on top of the litti for that nice brown color and it also crisps evenly. I prefer using pastry brush, gives me consistent results. When using cooking spray, I see uneven browning of the litti.

Cooking time may vary depending upon the size of the litti and amount of moisture in the litti. Please use timing as a guideline, different air fryers / ovens, have different temperature settings. Adjust the cooking time accordingly.

Once the litti cool completely, store the litti in a clean, air-tight glass container.  

Top left – GREEN GARLIC CILANTRO CHUTNEY, Top right –BAINGAN CHOKHA,Center – TOMATO CHOKHA, Bottom – AVOCADO LITTI

 

 

 

CAN I MAKE LITTI WITHOUT USING AVOCADO

Yes, absolutely, you can make litti without using avocado. Substitute 2-3 tablespoon of ghee or butter to bind the dough. Follow rest of the recipe as discussed earlier.

For Vegan litti, substitute vegan butter or any plant based oil instead of avocado.

HOW TO STORE LITTI

Litti stays fresh of 4-5 days in the refrigerator. Store it in a clean, air-tight glass container. 

Litti can be frozen for up to a month. Freeze it in a freezer safe container, thaw and warm it up on a stove top for couple of minutes, until heated through. Serve warm with some chokha.

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RELATED POSTS

BAINGAN CHOKHA
TOMATO CHOKHA
DHABA (RESTAURANT) STYLE DAL FRY
GREEN GARLIC CILANTRO CHUTNEY

 

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