When my father lived away from home, he would often completely live on sattu (roasted chickpea flour), partly because it travels well and is versatile - and because he didn’t have much else. He would have it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In the morning, he made lassi or smoothies with it, just adding water or yoghurt. In the afternoon, he kneaded it into a dough.
There was more cooking involved in the evening; the sattu was seasoned with onion, chillies and the oil from the pickle – this makes a very nice spicy filling that goes inside a dough ball called litti chokha. It’s my heritage dish. It’s sold on the street in Varanasi, Patna, in fact most of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Traditionally they are cooked on the burning embers of cowpats.
For anyone who has had chickpea flour, sattu tastes more roasted and nutty. It is considered very nutritious, a good source of protein and it helps with water retention - the days can become really, really hot in that part of the world.
Making litti chokha would be the ultimate embrace of sattu. For beginners, use it in a dry chutney and eat it with rice, lentils and whatever else you are cooking, or as a filling for paratha.
Vivek Singh is the founder and executive chef of the Cinnamon Collection restaurants
