Litti chokha is a health food, packing almost every ingredient from carbohydrates to proteins. Litti chokha is also filling and light on the wallet. Litti chokha is all these and much more. Krishna Raj Gupta, a son of Bihar, who migrated to Kolkata in 2003, has set up a chain named after this signature Bihari item, giving a war cry, "Non-Biharis of the world unite." His unifying platform is litti.
Over the past few years, a few outlets specialising in Bihari cuisines have sprung up in different metros – the most being in Delhi. Gupta’s chain is the first one in Kolkata, a city that has for decades been the home to countless taxi drivers, rickshaw pullers, milkmen and porters from Bihar who have sustained on the unsung litti.
Though Gupta serves Bihari cuisine, he has named his chain Littii Express, leaving no uncertainty as to what his main arsenal is – the mini cannonballs of litti, a traditional and rustic dish of stuffed whole wheat dough balls made of spiced mix of gram flour or sattu, usually served with chokha made of roasted potatoes or eggplants.
“Bihari cuisine is not only tasty, it is also extremely healthy, full of minerals and proteins apart from right amount of carbohydrates. It’s a wholesome food. I want to bring to the table the traditional Bihari dishes to do away with the misconception that Bihari food means only sattu,” Gupta avers.
Gupta along with with his friends Rajesh Kumar and Usha Goswami, both from Bihar, thought of coming up with the eatery, when they could not find any decent place in the city, where one could relish Bihari food. “I was surprised to find out that the city had South Indian restaurants selling idli and dosa at every nook and corner but none selling bati chokha or litti, from the neighbouring state,” states Gupta.
Set up in February this year, Litti Express, serves authentic Bihari cuisine, with Gupta ensuring that everything including the ghee, spices and chidwa (Flattened rice) is brought straight from Bihar. “I source them from districts, such as, Begu Sarai, Bhagalpur, Purnea and Ara in Bihar to retain the authentic taste. For example, the Katarni Chura (Flattened rice), can only be found in a village called Jagdishpur or the ghee, which we source from a small village, Balia. Even the mango for the shake is brought from Muzaffarpur,” stresses Gupta.
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Gupta’s claims lived up to our expectations. Darbhanga ka Dahi kebab, unique, soft sautéed pieces of cottage cheese, or the Katarni Chura indeed tasted of freshly ground spices and had a distinct taste and smell. The mango lassi, too, had the refreshing taste of the Langda aam, quite different from the variety grown in Bengal’s Malda district. Then came Begu Sarai ka Baghiya, which is a Bihari version of rice cake stuffed with gram flour and spices. The litti chokha, too, was well-made and packed with spices that did not overwhelm our senses.
The 45-seater restaurant, done in grey, white and black, has quirky graffiti depicting Madhubani paintings and different railway stations in Bihar. The chairs are extremely comfortable, keeping in mind the senior citizens, who frequent the diner with their friends and family. “Most of our customers are in the age group of 50-70 years, for whom comfort is the key while eating out,” points out Gupta.
But the outlet on Ballygunge Circular Road is vegetarian, and to satiate the carnivores, Gupta is planning a second outlet in Salt Lake Sector 1 just before the Durga Puja in October, which will be a 100-seater spread across a 1,000 sqft. “There will be a variety of non-veg littis including, mutton litti, keema litti and alos the special chawal mutton ka jhol (Rice and mutton curry)," promises Gupta.
But Gupta’s dream of serving Bihari food to the uninitiated does not stop here. He intends to open two more outlets in Howrah and Burrabazar in Kolkata, before spreading to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Hyderabad, and Chennai. “We will open four outlets in each city before we enter the B-tier towns, such as, Bhubaneshwar and Siliguri. But my ultimate desire is to take Bihar to Europe,” admits Gupta.
We wish litti captures the European imagination.
What: Littii Express, a Bihari cuisine diner
Where: 62/7, Ballygunge Circular Road, Kolkata: 700 019
Timings: Noon to midnight
A meal for two: Rs 900 plus GST