The Great Litti Chokha Showdown
The Great Litti Chokha Showdown
(A Tale of Two Feisty Bihari Women and Their Epic Food Fight)
Meet the Queens of the Village
In the small village of Lattupur, two women ruled with an iron ladle—Phoolmati Devi and Kamla Bua. They weren’t queens of politics or business but of something far more important: Litti Chokha!
Phoolmati Devi, the self-proclaimed Litti Champion, had been winning the village cooking competition for five years in a row. Her littis were golden, crispy, and stuffed with the perfect amount of sattu. Kamla Bua, on the other hand, was the Chokha Queen. Her chokha (mashed brinjal, tomato, and potato) was so delicious that even the village cows lined up outside her house, hoping to steal a bite . They respected each other… until that fateful day.
The Friendly Rivalry Turns Sour
It all started at the village fair. The local panchayat decided to host a Litti Chokha Cook-Off, where the best cook would win a brand-new pressure cooker (a luxury in the village). Phoolmati Devi smirked. “Kamla, dear, be ready to lose!” Kamla Bua scoffed. “Oh, Phoolmati, your littis are drier than the Thar Desert. Let’s see if the judges have good taste this time.” Their banter was friendly… at first. But as the competition started, so did the chaos!
The Battle Begins: Smoke, Fire, and a Missing Goat
Both women set up their cooking stations. Phoolmati Devi started kneading the dough while Kamla Bua roasted brinjals on an open fire. The air was thick with the smell of ghee, roasted gram flour, and—wait, what’s that? Just then, a loud “BAAAAA!” echoed through the village. Kamla Bua turned around to see her pet goat, Ramlal, munching on Phoolmati’s raw littis! Phoolmati shrieked. “Arre! Your useless goat is eating my masterpiece!” Kamla Bua laughed. “Maybe he knows good food when he sees it!” Phoolmati was furious. She grabbed a handful of dry sattu and—WHOOSH!—blew it right into Kamla Bua’s face. Kamla coughed and wiped her eyes. “Oh, now it’s WAR!”
The Great Litti War of Lattupur
Phoolmati picked up a hot litti and flung it at Kamla. It bounced off Kamla’s forehead like a cricket ball and landed in a pot of chokha. Kamla gasped. “You dare insult my chokha?” She grabbed a handful of chokha and—SPLAT!—smeared it on Phoolmati’s cheek. What followed was absolute chaos. Villagers gathered around, placing bets. “I bet 20 rupees on Kamla!” “No, Phoolmati will win!” Even the village headman stopped his speech to watch . Phoolmati retaliated by throwing a handful of mustard oil at Kamla’s saree. “Ab dekh, teri saree bhi fry ho jaayegi!”Kamla wasn’t one to back down. She took a ladle full of hot chokha and flung it into Phoolmati’s hair .The village erupted in laughter and cheers.
5. The Unexpected Twist: Judge Ji’s Verdict
Just as things were getting out of hand, the competition judge, Masterji, arrived. He was a serious old man who never smiled. He looked at both women, covered in sattu, chokha, and mustard oil. He sighed. “This is ridiculous. But I must taste the food.” He took a bite of Phoolmati’s litti. “Crispy, delicious, but missing something…” Then he tried Kamla Bua’s chokha. “Perfect texture, but it needs a little more salt.” Finally, he took a bite of the litti that had fallen into the chokha during the fight. His eyes widened. “This… this is DIVINE!” The villagers gasped. Had the fight accidentally created the perfect dish. Masterji stood up and declared, “The winner is… THE COMBINATION OF BOTH!”
6. The Aftermath: A Legendary Friendship
Phoolmati and Kamla looked at each other, stunned. Kamla laughed. “So you’re telling me… we fought for nothing?” Phoolmati chuckled. “Arre, we invented something better!” The two women hugged, covered in food, and the villagers cheered. From that day on, the village started calling their creation the “Phool-Kamla Special,” a litti-chokha fusion that was sold in markets far and wide. And guess what? They shared the pressure cooker—one week in Phoolmati’s house, one week in Kamla’s! And Ramlal the goat? Well, he got extra littles that night.
Read more: Iron and Salt