Everything you need to know about Sattu
Called the ‘Poor man’s protein’, sattu is the latest food which is steadily gaining popularity. Thanks to Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh, this underrated food ingredient has received the much deserving recognition in the recent times. It is basically a flour-like ingredient that is high in nutrients and is often called the powerhouse of energy.
How to make sattu?
Though it is readily available in the market, you can also easily make it at home. All you need to do is to roast the gram (chana) in a wok. Allow it to cool, then finely grind the roasted chana with the help of a grinder. Your homemade sattu is ready to use. You may or may not remove the husk.
Varieties of Sattu
What earlier belonged to a few states, is now a famous and exotic food ingredient that is easily available even in supermarkets. Sattu is now available in different forms that include wheat, barley or sorghum (jowar). All these variations have a certain percentage of roasted gram in it.
How to use Sattu?
Considered as a staple of Bihar and Jharkhand, sattu is now a global superfood that people have started consuming. One of the easiest uses of sattu is to make a sharbat (sweet or salty). According to doctors, this drink protects the body against sunstroke. Made with sattu, onion, lemon juice, black salt, cumin powder, chaat masala and water this drink has a tangy and spicy taste. For making the sweet version, take a glass of milk, add two tablespoon sattu powder, one teaspoon sugar or jaggery and mix well. Have it as a complete breakfast drink. Sattu is also used in making ‘litti’. Apart from that, you can make parathas, upma, or even porridge with it. It can also be mixed in milk, like protein powder and consumed.
Ancient traces
High on insoluble fibre and all other essential nutrients, it is considered a wholesome meal. Workers and farmers prefer sattu porridge (made with sattu, onion, mustard oil, salt, and green chilli) as their mid-day meal that not only keeps them full for longer but also provides instant energy to work under direct sunlight and helps prevent lethargy.
How is it helpful?
Rich in iron, manganese, and magnesium, and low on sodium, sattu provides instant energy and also works as a cooling agent that further keeps the internal organs at ease and has several other health benefits that are discussed below.
Great for digestion
With rich insoluble fibre, sattu is considered great for the intestines. As an effective tool, it cleanses your colon, and helps remove greasy food, from the walls of intestine and rejuvenates the entire digestion process. It also controls flatulence, constipation, and acidity.
High in nutrients
The dry-roasting process is the key that keeps the nutrients intact here. Rich in protein, fibre, calcium, iron, manganese and magnesium, every 100 grams of this superfood contains 65 percent carbohydrate and 20 percent protein.
Summer cooler
Just like Aam Paana, this local drink of Bihar and Jharkhand is the perfect summer cooler that not just provides calmness to the body during the heat, but also protects you against sunstroke.
Good for hair and skin
Sattu helps hydrate the body during summers and as a result, you shine with glowing skin. Traditionally, sattu has been used to treat hair problems. Rich in iron content, it helps reduce hair fall, improves the quality of hair by increasing the oxygen flow to the hair roots.
Controls diabetes
The low-glycaemic index of sattu is good for diabetic people. According to health experts, consuming sattu on a daily basis keeps blood sugar levels under control and also regulates blood pressure.
Balances cholesterol
The high fibre content of sattu controls the high cholesterol issue and balances by producing more of good cholesterol in the body.
