Lilli is a snack food found in India's Bihar stale. II consists of wheat and sattu (powdered gram or lentil) formed into balls with spices, and then tilled with ghee (clarified butler) via a hole. Although very often confused with the closely related Baati, it is a completely different dish in terms of taste, texture and preparation. It may be eaten with yogurt, baigan bharta, alu bharta, and papad.
Spices used to flavour the litti include ajowain, kalonji, garlic, red pepper, mustard oil, salt, and ginger. Tasty pickles can also be used to add spice flavour. In western Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh litti is served with murgh korma (a creamy chicken curry) and chokha (a vegetable preparation of roasted and mashed eggplant, tomato, and potato).
Photo: Rahul Pandey