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Some like chokha hot while others wax eloquent about the cool comfort it provides in summer, says Pushpesh Pant
One worthy told us that the word derived from pure as contrasting with khota, flawed/debased. Other, claiming to be equally knowledgeable, insisted that it meant sharp as in pungent. Pointed—teekha—as a comment, that evokes an ouch. Some informed us that chokha was made only with alu; others refuted this and maintained you could enjoy a tamatar or baigan ka chokha equally.
There were those who held that chokha was savoured best with rice and arhar ki daal. Friends who preferred roti as its ideal accompaniment contested this. To borrow a memorable line, ‘some like it hot’ while others wax eloquent about the cool comfort it provides in summer. What can’t be denied is that it is an easy-to-prepare rustic delight—filling, nutritious and tasty. Recently, Dr Savita Singh, the dynamic Director of Gandhi Smriti in Delhi, completed our education in this regard. She told us convincingly that chokha is not to be confused with bharta of any kind; it is seldom complicated with fancy adornments like finely chopped onions or addition of aromatic garam masala. Tempering with zeera is almost testing the permissible limits. Just a few days back, Dr Sanjay Pande hailing from Gorakhpur had shared us with a family recipe that pepped up the chokha with half a red chilly from the pickle jar—stuffed with tangy masala in the best Gorakhpuri style. This Savita thought was close to cheating. Pungency should be contributed, according to her, solely by good-quality cold- pressed mustard oil. What tempted us to try this out was the gift of a jumbo-sized packet of potato flakes by a friend who has launched this product in the Indian market—saving all the hassle of boiling, cooling and painstakingly peeling the alu before mashing these. Laluji will surely appreciate the march of technology. After all, this is his favourite dish. We have, however, made this a combo chokha. Inclusion of char-grilled tomatoes not only adds a welcome splash of colour but also introduces a different texture and some moisture. At a pinch you can do away with the daal.
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LET
us confess at the outset that we have long laboured under a great burden
of ignorance as far as this week’s recipe is concerned. Whenever we
quizzed a Bihari friend about their cuisine, the chokha (with litti)
figured prominently in the responses. What was confusing was that like
the proverbial elephant being described by five blind men, the
descriptions seldom matched.