Sattu Ka Parantha :: Makuni Paratha :: Bihar ka khana

I am not sure how many of you have had Sattu yet ! for those who don’t know what that is – it’s simply a flour made of roasted Chana, which is very popular in the states of Bihar and in some parts of Eastern U.P.  Thse days you get many varieties of Sattu in the market, which are evolved to include other nutritious flours like barley, Jowar etc.

Health Benefits of Sattu: 

• In Ayurveda, Sattu is stated to be a cooling and digestive meal. It also acts as a natural colon cleanser
• Being prepared by one of the healthiest cooking methods – roasting, its nutritional value is retained and shelf life gets enhanced.  The shelf life of Sattu is higher than the usual flours like Bajra, Rajgira, Jowar etc.
• Its high fibre content makes it a good ingredient to include in your diet.
• Having a low glycaemic index, is good for diabetics as well. For elderly, sick  and bed ridden people, Sattu helps in building strength and muscle mass rapidly.
• Sattu has cooling properties, and hence its used to prepare a cold porridge sort of drink for Summers to keep the body heat normal.
• Sattu is very high in protein, which makes it a an excellent product to be included in Vegetarian’s and Vegan’s diet. 60 grams ( 4 tbsp) of this roasted flour will give you 19.7 grams of high quality protein along with - Calcium and magnesium ( a fantastic combination as magnesium helps calcium get better absorbed into the body). This also makes it excellent for bone health and prevention and treatment of osteoporosis

Difference between Satttu and Besan:

You might easily take it for Besan ( Gram flour ) , but its not the same. The basic difference is that Gram flour is made by grinding Bengal gram ( Chana Daal ) and Sattu is made up of roasting chickpeas and Bengal gram, then grinding it to make flour. The texture of Sattu is a bit more course than Besan and the fragrance is also different. While besan is and smells raw, Sattu is already a cooked meal and can be consumed without any further cooking.  Replacing Besan for Sattu will never give the same results, and vice versa

How to make Sattu at home : 

Traditionally, Chickpeas or Chana daal ( Bengal gram ) is roasted in hot sand and then grind to powder. The reason for using the sand is that the individual bits get roasted evenly. Like these road side Thela wallahs, they roast peanuts in sand and then just sift it and when you eat it, there is no trace of sand at all. The same happens with Sattu, and also it gets that earthy taste from there. 

But obviously, we can’t use Sand in our houses for doing the same. Hence I experimented with my own methods to prepare Sattu at home. I had never done that before, honestly. So I had to ask few of my friends from Bihar to get it right. And this method so far has proved to be the best, all tried and tested :)  CLICK HERE FOR THE DETAILED METHOD on how to prepare Sattu at home. This page also has the recipe for Litti Chokha, which is another staple from Bihar.

I will post more recipes with Sattu very shortly. As of now, try this wonderful Parantha stuffed with Makuni a.k.a spiced Sattu. Its also called Makuni Parantha or simply Makuni in many parts of Bihar. Once you try it, am sure you will fall in love with Sattu as much as I have 

Check out another popular Sattu recipe for LITTI CHOKHA 

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cooking Time: 30 mins

Serves: 3-4 people

Cuisine:- North Indian, Sates of U.P. , Bihar

Spice Level: Mild to Medium

Recipe Level: Intermediate / moderate

Shelf Life: 24-30 hours at room temperature, 3-4 hours in extreme Summers

Serving Suggestion: With spiced yoghurt,  Potato sabzi, Brinjal Sabzi

What you need?

For the Parantha Dough :

• 4 cups of wheat flour
• Warm water as required
• A generous pinch of salt

For the Filling:

• 2 cups sattu ka aata
• 2 medium sized onions, very finely chopped
• 3-4 green chillies finely chopped
• 6-7 garlic cloves finely chopped or minced 
• 1 inch ginger piece, grated or very finely chopped
• 2 tbsp nigella seeds ( Kalonji )
• 1 tsp Panch phoran
• ¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 2 tbsp mustard oil
• 2 tbsp oil from mango pickle jar, any brand
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• Salt to taste

How to make?

• Knead a soft but not too loose dough, using warm water. If it’s too loose or pliable, the stuffing will leak out while rolling. So the texture should be a bit tight to stretch.  And that’s just not true for this Sattu Parantha, but any variety of stuffed Paranthas.
• Once it’s done, keep aside covered for 20 minutes.
• Mix all the ingredients well adjusting salt and lemon juice according to your taste. Do take care that the onions should be chopped very finely else again, it will start poking out of your Parathas while rolling. I have seen some people even grate onions coarsely or pulse them in a blender briefly so they get very tiny sized onion pieces.
• Roll the Parantha balls of a flat surface ( chakla ) dusting some dry flour on it. Fill in the stuffing and pull the sides together to make a stuffed ball. (** refer to the pictures below )
• Roll the stuffed parantha gently, taking care not to break it apart. Roast on a heated griddle, flipping and applying oil on both sides generously. This Paratha puffs up very nicely, due to the oil used in this stuffing making it swells up nicely.  
• Once cooked from both sides properly, serve immediately with a curry or yoghurt Raita aside.

Some tips and notes:

• The quantity of oil and pickle oil I have stated is standard ( rather on a less side than the authentic preparation). You may adjust it as per you taste and preferences.
• Some people don’t like the smell of raw mustard oil. If you are one of them, you may fry a pinch of panch phoran in mustard oil and then add it to the stuffing mix. This step will eradicate the raw pungent smell of mustard oil, although that’s the star flavour of this dish.
• Since the stuffing is dry, its important to keep a runny accomplishment aside. Traditionally, people eat Baingan bharta ( Eggplant mash ) along with this Paratha. But you may have aalu sabzi, raita or any curry along side. 

For more recipes from Bihar, click    here 

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