Tomato chokha (Bihari roasted tomato mash)

Name: Tomato chokha (Bihari roasted tomato mash)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 400 g tomato, firm, ripe; whole, washed and dried; about 4 medium; 4 cloves garlic, unpeeled for roasting (or peeled and crushed raw); 6 g green chilli, finely chopped (or roasted with the tomatoes); 50 g onion, finely chopped; about ½ small; 10 g coriander leaves, leaves and tender stems, finely chopped; 15 ml mustard oil; 3 g salt; 5 ml lemon juice (optional)

Vegetarian

टमाटर चोखा · ṭamāṭar cokhā

Tomatoes and garlic charred over a flame, peeled and mashed with raw mustard oil, green chilli, onion, coriander and salt. Smoky and pungent, chokha is the inseparable companion of litti in Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

Tomato chokha (Bihari roasted tomato mash) is an Indian condiment, ready in about 30 minutes and made with tomato, garlic and mustard oil. It serves 4 and is rated beginner to cook.

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Prep: 10 min
Cook: 10 min
Rest: 10 min
Total: 30 min
Serves: 4
Level: Beginner
Calories: 61

Ingredients

4 servings (about 100 g)

400 g Tomato (opens in a new tab), firm, ripe; whole, washed and dried; about 4 medium
4 cloves (16 g) Garlic (opens in a new tab), unpeeled for roasting (or peeled and crushed raw)
6 g Green chilli (opens in a new tab), finely chopped (or roasted with the tomatoes)2 chillies.
50 g Onion (opens in a new tab), finely chopped; about ½ small
10 g Coriander leaves (opens in a new tab), leaves and tender stems, finely chopped
15 ml Mustard oil (opens in a new tab)Raw (unheated); its pungency defines chokha.Contains mustard
3 g Salt (opens in a new tab)About ½ tsp.
5 ml Lemon juice (opens in a new tab) (optional)

Equipment

Method

1
Step 1
Wash and dry the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and make a small slit in each so they do not burst. Finely chop the onion (opens in a new tab), green chillies and coriander.
How it looks · Photo: Christina & Peter on Pexels
2
Step 2
Roast the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and unpeeled garlic (opens in a new tab) directly over a medium gas flame (or on a hot griddle, or in the embers of the litti fire), turning with tongs (opens in a new tab), for 6–8 minutes until the tomato skins are blackened and split and the flesh is soft right through. The garlic is done when soft and charred in spots, after 3–4 minutes.
- 8 min
- medium heat
- Tongs (opens in a new tab)
- Griddle / tawa (opens in a new tab)
Food safety: Tomatoes can spurt hot juice when they split; use long tongs.
How it looks · Photo: Muhammad Khawar Nazir on Pexels
3
Step 3
Put the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) in a covered bowl for 10 minutes to steam and cool. Peel off the charred skin (a few black flecks add flavour) and peel the garlic (opens in a new tab).
- 4 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
4
Step 4
Mash the tomatoes (opens in a new tab) and garlic (opens in a new tab) with your hand or a fork to a rough pulp. Mix in the onion (opens in a new tab), green chilli (opens in a new tab), coriander, salt, raw mustard oil (opens in a new tab) and lemon juice (opens in a new tab). Taste: it should be smoky, sharp and pungent.
- 2 min
- Mixing bowl (opens in a new tab)
How it looks · Photo: Mateusz Feliksik on Pexels

About this dish

Origin: Bihar and eastern Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, India · Well documentedChokha (tomato, aubergine or potato) with litti is the signature meal of Bihar; the tomato version is often mixed with the aubergine one.Also popular in NepalMore food from India
Dish: Lunch · Dinner · Condiments, chutneys & relishes · Side dishes
Cooking method: Grilled, Raw
Taste: smoky, tangy, spicy (chilli heat), garlicky
Diet: Vegan · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labels
Vegan · Plant-based · Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Lacto-vegetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Whole-food focused · Paleo-style · No gluten ingredients · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · DASH-style
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for: Everyday · Budget-friendly
Cook more with: Tomato · Garlic · Mustard oil · Green chilli · Onion · Coriander leaves
Techniques: Grilling · Charcoal grilling · Knife skills

Allergens

Contains: Mustardfrom mustard oil

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

61 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 100 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

Protein 9%
Carbohydrate 40%
Fat 51%

Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
Nutrient	Per serving	Per 100 g
Energy	61 kcal	61 kcal
Protein	1.4 g	1.4 g
Carbohydrate	6.6 g	6.6 g
Net carbohydrate	5 g	5 g
Sugars	3.3 g	3.3 g
Added sugars	0 g	0 g
Fibre	1.6 g	1.6 g
Fat	3.7 g	3.7 g
Saturated fat	0.4 g	0.4 g
Trans fat	0 g	0 g
Cholesterol	0 mg	0 mg
Sodium	298 mg	298 mg
Salt equivalent	0.7 g	0.7 g

Vitamins & minerals per serving

Potassium: 289 mg
Calcium: 22 mg
Iron: 0.4 mg
Magnesium: 14 mg
Vitamin A (RAE): 51 µg
Vitamin C: 20 mg
Vitamin D: 0 µg
Vitamin B12: 0 µg
Folate (DFE): 19 µg

How these numbers were made

Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
Optional ingredients are not included: lemon juice.
“—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

Roasting over a direct flame or coals gives the smokiness; oven-grilling works but tastes flatter.
Combine with an equal amount of baingan chokha (roasted aubergine) for the classic mixed chokha.

Common mistakes

Removing every speck of char, which loses the smoky flavour.
Using heated or refined oil — raw mustard oil is essential.

Serve with

Serve with litti, sattu paratha or makuni.
Part of the Bihari khichdi spread: khichdi, chokha, papad, ghee and achar.

Food safety

Eat the same day or refrigerate; mashed raw-onion relishes spoil quickly in warm weather.

Storage

Best fresh; keeps 1 day in the fridge.

Variations

Baingan-tamatar chokha: Mixed with an equal weight of roasted, mashed aubergine.
Aloo chokha: Boiled potato mashed with the same seasoning.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added 2 Nov 2026 · Updated 8 Nov 2026

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Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

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Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Tomato, firm, ripe; whole, washed and dried; about 4 medium400 g
Garlic, unpeeled for roasting (or peeled and crushed raw)4 clove · 16 g

Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

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Reviews & corrections

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