Savouring sattu

A beverage made with sattu, an indigenous flour consisting of a mixture of roasted ground pulses and cereals, is more than just a tradition. It is refreshing and healthy, and is ideal for summers

- VAISHALI DAR

AVISITTO ABIHARI HOUSEHOLD is incomplete without having a sattu meal, whether it's a sattu sharbat, puri, paratha, litti chokha or tikki. Once considered a staple for commoners and the working-class migrants from eastern UP, Bihar, Jharkhand and West Bengal, the humble flour has now gained much fanfare among medical experts, health-conscious individuals and upscale eateries.

As a healthy drink option, restaurants are now adding a contemporary spin to sattu recipes. At a recently hosted cultural festival The Unsung Magadh', SAGA, a fine-dining restaurant in Gurugram, curated a cocktail called spicy sattu with dark rum, green chillies, mint, salt, onion and roasted cumin."Sattu was part of our family diet from time immemorial and is now a global superfood," says Atul Kochhar, a twice Michelin-starred chef from Jamshedpurin Jharkhand."Once considered a poor man's diet, it is now the diet of super-fit people. The origin of sattu could be the Magadh region in Bihar, but over the years, this staple has become more popular among the well-heeled people and completes the cuisine's flavour," says Kochhar, who is also a chef partner at SAGA.