If you have bought ogla or fafra and are wondering what people actually do with it, this is the answer. Chilta is the daily version — savoury, cooked on a pan, eaten with ghee. Aktori is what gets made when something is being celebrated. Same flour, two completely different results.
What you need
- Ogla or fafra flour1 cup
- Waterabout 1 cup, to a pouring batter
- Salt½ tsp — for chilta
- Gheefor cooking, generously
- Wheat flour½ cup — only for aktori
- Jaggery4 tbsp grated — only for aktori
- Cardamom¼ tsp — only for aktori
Method
- Make the batter. Whisk buckwheat flour with water until it pours like a thin dosa batter with no lumps. Add salt for chilta.
- Rest it. Twenty minutes minimum. Buckwheat has no gluten so it will not develop, but resting lets the flour hydrate and the pancake holds together far better.
- Heat the pan properly. A hot, well-greased tawa. Buckwheat sticks more readily than wheat, so be generous with the ghee.
- Pour and spread. Pour a ladleful and spread gently outward. It will be thicker than a dosa — that is correct.
- Cook slowly. Medium heat, 2–3 minutes a side. Wait for the edges to lift on their own before flipping. Rushing it tears the pancake.
- For aktori instead. Mix buckwheat and wheat flour, dissolve the jaggery in warm water and use that as the liquid, add cardamom. Cook the same way, a little slower because the jaggery catches.
Where it goes wrong
- Do not flip early. The most common failure. Let the edges release themselves.
- Buckwheat has no gluten, so the batter will not stretch or become elastic. It is not supposed to.
- Chilta goes with ghee, mint chutney, or a thin dal. Aktori is eaten on its own.
- Fafra works identically and is slightly milder if you find ogla too earthy.
Ogla
Ogla is buckwheat. It is also one of four grains almost nobody in these valleys still grows.
See the productQuestions people ask
What is chilta made of?
Buckwheat flour — ogla or fafra — mixed to a batter with water and cooked on a hot pan. It is also known as pattu in parts of Kinnaur.
What is the difference between chilta and aktori?
Chilta is savoury, everyday, made with buckwheat alone. Aktori adds wheat flour and jaggery and is made for festivals.
Is chilta gluten free?
Chilta made only from buckwheat is naturally gluten free. Aktori contains wheat flour, so it is not.
Why does my chilta break when I flip it?
Usually flipped too early, or a pan that was not hot or greased enough. Wait until the edges lift on their own.
