Round balls of wheat flour with a filling of chickpea flour, baked on charcoal and dunked in clarified butter; served with a side of spicy mashed potatoes. Sounds fancy, right? That was an attempt to explain the very popular Bihari dish litti-chokha. Lalu Ki Litti, a small AC restaurant on Sarat Bose Road tasted viral social media fame for their 24-carat gold litti, but shiny balls of dough aside, the eatery is also known for serving a delicious plate of litti-chokha and Bihari mutton.
My Kolkata visited this popular south Kolkata food eatery to try their littis and the slow cooked Champaran mutton. Here's what you can expect on your visit…
‘Littis’ as you like it
Besides the regular littis, they serve a few other options like ghee littis and 24-carat gold littis. The platters come with two or four littis, with a side of alu chokha, baigan bharta, and green and white chutneys. The ghee littis are dunked in some hearty desi ghee, while the viral 24-carat littis get a golden makeover with gold leaf sheets post their ghee dunking. The presentation gets top points, with the dish being served on a mini khatia with bowls of chutneys, chokha, bharta and chopped onions.
The eatery sells various varieties of litti-chokha, including a ghee litti and the viral 24-carat gold litti
The comforting scent of warm ghee and char-grilled dough balls hits you first as you are served the warm sattu-filled littis. The aroma of the smoking dough balls lures you in like phuchka on the streets of Kolkata, and you are momentarily transported to the villages of Bihar, where you would find small shacks selling littis at the chourasta or chowpaty. Plus watching the littis being made as you enter the shop is a visual treat.
After roasting on a charcoal grill, the littis are are given a generous dunking in desi ghee
The green chutney served is made with curd, green chillies and coriander while the white chutney tastes like the coconut chutney served with Dosa and Idlies. The alu chokha is perfectly spiced and not too hot, and so is the baigan bharta. Both have the characteristic scent of mustard oil.
Pocket pinch: Rs. 70 onwards
From the land of Champaran
While the littis are being made on a little charcoal grill on the left as you enter the shop, on your right you will see another open charcoal pit, this time with sealed claypots. These innocuous claypots are used to slow cook a signature Bihari mutton dish — Ahuna mutton, or popularly Champaran mutton.
Simple sealed clay pots are used to slow cook the meat for the Bihari Ahuna
When the lids are cracked open, the scent of the meat that has been slow cooking for more than two hours is sure to make your mouth water. The speciality of this meat preparation lies in its cooking technique. The recipe uses whole spices, along with whole bulbs or garlic as opposed to the usual garlic paste used in most Indian meat preparations. The thick mutton gravy has a rich aroma and slow cooking tenderises the meat to the perfect succulent texture.
The popular Champaran mutton or Ahuna Mutton
As an alternative for those who don’t eat mutton, Lalu Ki Litti also serves a chicken version. The meat used is not your usual poultry chicken but desi murgi or country chicken. Speaking about the chicken preparation, manager Rajdeb Mandal explained, “Desi Murgh Ahuna is an alternative to the Ahuna mutton for those who don’t eat red meat. The desi chicken dish is slow cooked with similar spices in the claypots.”
Pocket pinch: Rs 419 onwards
Lalu ki Litti special shareable and non-shareable combos of Ahuna mutton and littis that people can opt for. The meat preparations can also be paired with rice or roti.
What else is on the menu
While litti-chokha and Ahuna meat are their most popular items, Lalu ki Litti also sells an array of other Bihari dishes worth trying. One of the items on the menu that Kolkata foodies love is the Chicken Taash. Think of a non-vegetarian version of muri makha, and that’s what Taash is. For Rs 299 a plate, you get a dish of chatpata puffed rice served with a marinated fried chicken. The Mutton Taash is for Rs 349.
Another pop pick is the Shekuaa Kebab. The chicken and mutton skewers are grilled on charcoal and you get a plate of six kebabs at prices similar to the Taash. Apart from these, the menu also features chicken tandoori, chicken cheese kebabs, mutton masala curry, makuti roti, masala kulcha and other items.
Lalu ki Litti is bringing Bihari food to Kolkatans in a comfortable, sanitised setting
Why visit Lalu Ki Litti?
The year-old eatery has gained popularity for bringing Bihari cuisine to Kolkatans in a sit-down, comfortable setting. For a long time, the common narrative was that to find some good litti-chokha in Kolkata, you’d have to weave through the narrow lanes of north or central Kolkata to chance upon a stall, and even then there was no guarantee it would be open.
Since January 2023, Lalu Ki Litti, founded by MD Khaleequzzaman (also the owner of Social Hideout), has been a go-to place for people who want to sample the Bihari speciality in a sanitised, comfortable setting, especially in the hot summers of the city. You get the authentic taste of litti-chokha and other Bihari dishes, in an air-conditioned seating space that has cordial staff and hygienic conditions.
Address: 187, Sarat Bose Road, Lake Market, Ballygunge (Beside Zeeshan)
Open: Mon-Sun 1pm to 12.30 am
Pocket pinch: Rs 600 for two
