Amp up summer recipes with the protein-packed 'sattu'
Summary
'Sattu' has deep cultural significance in India's culinary landscape, and it can be used in several modern recipes
You cannot scroll on Instagram without coming across a few high-protein sattu recipes. For all the people who fear or dislike whey protein, sattu is marketed as the desi protein powder. And nothing works better for boosting your views than pushing away a “Western" import and showing an Indian ingredient in its place.
While trying to understand sattu better, I came across this fascinating 1971 book Heat Stress and Culture in North India by Jack Planalp. Examining this topic from a historical lens, it explores the adaptations of the north Indian population to the climate, by way of housing, clothing, technology, daily regimen and diet. Browsing a book on climate adaptation written in 1971 in the year 2025 when climate change is bringing fierce summer days to Bengaluru in February is an eye-opener.
In his book, Planalp has done in-depth research on sattu, calling it an institution in north India, especially much of the Bhojpuri-speaking region. It is enshrined in the observance of Satuani festival. Few ingredients get the honour of their own festival, but in Bihar and Jharkhand, sattu does. Satuani, or Sattu Sankranti, marks the arrival of summer with the sweet nuttiness of sattu and the tang of raw mangoes. Celebrated on Mesha Sankranti, sattu is offered to the gods in earthen pots alongside water and mango pickle.
Living in urban homes, protected from the elements to a great extent by air-conditioning, we may not realise sattu’s importance in the scorching summers of this region. In villages, having a nutritious food that can be eaten without any cooking eliminates the need for women of the household to sit in front of a fire to prepare the midday meal. Sattu mixed with thin buttermilk makes for the best summer season midday meal. In the days before hotels or dhabas dotted the landscape, caste consciousness prevented orthodox people from eating at food stalls, and buying food was both expensive and unreliable in terms of hygiene, sattu made for the best travel food. A pound or two of sattu was tied in a cloth, carried along and combined with some water to make an anytime meal.
Also read: Master the basics of protein powder
The book also gave me a moment of revelation that sattu is a process and not just an ingredient. Any grain that has been moistened, parched in hot sand, then husked, cleaned and ground into coarse powder is sattu. What we now use as sattu is a powder made out of roasted gram dal. It can be made from various grains and lentils, depending on the region and tradition. Traditionally, it was made of barley combined with one of the pulses, barley and peas or maize, millet, wheat or rice, but barley was the preferred grain, due to its cooling properties.
The ways to eat sattu and the recipes given below use the standard sattu available across India which is roasted black chana (gram dal) powder. It is sold in both varieties, ground with skins and without. Whatever the sattu is made from, its highlight is that it can be eaten as is without any cooking.
It can be mixed with water or buttermilk, salt and chillies to make a savoury drink, mixed with powdered jaggery to make a sharbat, added as a stuffing along with onions and chillies to make parathas, and as a binder to patties and cutlets.
Now, back to the protein in sattu. After scanning over a dozen brands on Amazon, sattu’s protein content varies widely—from 9-25g per 100g. It’s undoubtedly a nutritious ingredient, offering a good amount of dietary fibre, complex carbs, and calcium. But as a pure protein source? Not quite. If you’re looking for high-protein, low-carb, fast-absorbing options, sattu isn’t the best fit. However, if you want a wholesome, fibre-rich, plant-based ingredient with a bonus of some extra protein, sattu earns its place on your plate, not as a whey protein substitute, but as a functional food deeply rooted in tradition.
SATTU-STUFFED CHILLIES
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 large bajji chillies
2 tbsp white sesame seeds
Quarter cup roasted peanuts
Half cup sattu
2 tsp jaggery powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp amchur powder
Half tsp red chilli powder
1 tbsp coriander powder
Pinch of turmeric powder
3 tbsp finely chopped coriander
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp oil or less
Method
Make a vertical slit along the chillies and using a small spoon, scoop out the seeds and membranes.
Toast the sesame seeds in a pan until they start popping. In a mixer jar, combine the sesame seeds, roasted peanuts, sattu, jaggery, salt, amchur, red chilli powder, coriander powder and turmeric and blend to get a coarse mixture.
Transfer this to a large plate and add finely chopped coriander and onions to this and mix well.
Now stuff this mixture into each chilli, as much as it can hold.
Heat the oil in a pan and place the chillies side by side. Let them cook on one side for 5-6 minutes on a medium flame. Turn them over and cook for another 3-4 minutes until the chillies have golden brown spots all around.
Alternatively, brush oil on the stuffed chillies and air-fry them in a preheated air fryer at 170-180 degrees Celsius for 8 minutes or until golden brown on the outside.
COOLING SATTU DRINK
Serves 2
Ingredients
1 green chilli, chopped
Quarter cup coriander leaves, chopped
10-12 mint leaves
Half cup yogurt
2 tbsp sattu
Quarter tsp roasted cumin powder
Pinch of black salt
1 tsp jaggery powder (optional)
Method
Blend or crush chilli, coriander and mint leaves to a paste. Add the remaining ingredients and blend well. Transfer this to a bowl or an earthen pot. Add one and a half cups of water and whisk well.
Serve as is or chilled.
Double Tested is a fortnightly column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways. Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great Indian Thali—Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness. She posts @saffrontrail on Instagram and X.
Also read: Why a summer-body shouldn't be your only fitness goal
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