Cheeli Paper

I was born in the part of Bihar that is now Jharkhand but maintained my original statehood (read: where my parents originated from) and would tell everyone that we were from UP. Now, married to a Bihari for 33+ years, I have also come to know and appreciate the cuisine from that state.

So a few years ago, craving the traditional Bihari litti, chokha, bharta, and chutney, we heard there was a restaurant in Marathahalli that made this combo where Biharis from the IT corridor nearby throng to get a feel of home-style food.

We found out the name of the restaurant and called them one Saturday to inquire if litti-chokha and their accompaniments would be on offer and to book a table.

The call was received by a lazy drawl, “Haloooo, cheeli paper”.

The restaurant was called Chilli Pepper! We realised we were lucky to have called on the weekend; nevertheless, the food we wanted would not be available till the next day. Not wanting to miss the opportunity, we immediately booked ourselves a table and invited our UP wala cousins along to introduce them to this divine dish.

The next day, we arrived well in time so as not to miss the chance in case there was a run on the dish. We were seated and I could see the excitement on my proud husband’s face at this opportunity to show off the signature dish of Bihar.

We were asked whether we would like to order any starters but we did not want to fill our stomachs with common nonsense so we declined but asked them for something to drink. We were told they had the elixir of East India called sattu ka sharbat or sattu ki lassi. We opted for the latter as we did not want the sweet stuff. The drink was really yummy and though i had never really indulged in other variations of sattu, it was enjoyable and nourishing.

After a long wait, the plates arrived and then the littis and the baingan ka bharta and aloo ka chokha and tamatar ki chutney .… everything was hot and freshly made. This tamatar ki chutney is really yummy and so different – woody and smoky with flavours from mustard oil, garlic, green chilies, and lemon juice. It can be had simply on its own. Easy to make too!

We wanted to thank the chef and were told that Rajes would come out and meet us. We congratulated and thanked Rajes who had probably never ever been called out of the kitchen before and had evidently pulled on his t-shirt in a hurry with floury hands as “the customers wanted to speak to him!”

The founder of the restaurant was a Mallu who had gone on a railway job to Bihar. After 34 years, he moved back to South India and established this restaurant in Bangalore. However, sadly, it now has only ‘multi-cuisine’ fare such as Chinese manjuri and its likes!