Sattu Ka Ghol| Savoury Sattu Drink

While holidaying in Calcutta a few years ago, experiencing Kali Pujo, the husband and I would often come across streams of people gulping down glasses of some sort of watery drink, at the carts of street-side vendors. The drink surely looked interesting, a pale brown in colour, with finely chopped onions, green chillies and coriander in it. Back then, we didn’t know what it was, but it surely looked like a thirst quencher – the heat was killing, and the drink seemed to be offering people some respite. We didn’t try it out. It was much later that I learnt what that drink was – Sattu Ka Ghol, or a savoury sherbet made using roasted black chickpea flour aka sattu or chane ka sattu.

I recently saw the recipe for Sattu Ka Ghol on Sasmita’s blog, First Timer Cook, and absolutely had to try it out. I made it with black pepper powder instead of green chillies, and kept it quite watery. It turned out simply beautiful – delicious, very refreshing, just the thing you need on a hot summer’s day. It took me not more than 5 minutes to put the Sattu Ka Ghol together!

Sattu is a powerhouse of nutrients, with several health benefits to it. No wonder blue-collar workers in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Bengal have been consuming it for ages! Of late, the many benefits of sattu are being recognised the world over, and it isbeing touted as a superfood. This Sattu Ka Ghol is a supremely easy (not to forget delish!) way of getting all those health benefits in! This is a vegan, completely plant-based drink, and a gluten-free one as well.

If you haven’t tried out Sattu Ka Ghol ever, you must definitely do so this summer. Here’s how I made it, following the recipe from Sasmita’s blog, with a few minor variations.

Ingredients (makes about 4 small glasses):

1. 3 heaped tablespoons sattu
2. 2 cups of chilled water or as required
3. Black salt to taste
4. 1 teaspoon black pepper powder or as per taste
5. 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder or as per taste
6. Juice of 1 lemon or to taste
7. 2 tablespoons very finely chopped onion (optional)
8. 1 tablespoon very finely chopped fresh coriander

Method:

1. Take the sattu in a mixing bowl. Add in about 1/2 cup of the chilled water, and mix well till the sattu gets completely dissolved in the water.

2. Now, add in the rest of the chilled water, along with the black salt, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder and lemon juice. Mix well, ensuring that all the ingredients are well combined together.

3. Pour the drink into serving glasses. Add some finely chopped onion (if using) and coriander to each serving glass. Serve immediately.

Notes:

1. I have used store-bought sattu here, but you can make your own at home if you so prefer.
2. Using the black salt is highly recommended, as it adds a lovely flavour and taste to the Sattu Ka Ghol. Do not substitute regular table salt for it, unless you absolutely cannot avoid doing so.
3. Adjust the quantitites of all the above ingredients depending upon personal taste preferences and how light/thick you would prefer the Sattu Ka Ghol to be.
4. Finely chopped green chillies can be used in place of the black pepper powder. I prefer using the black pepper powder, as I can avoid the danger of biting into a green chilly bit by doing so. 🙂
5. If you so prefer, you can use a mix of finely chopped green chillies and black pepper powder to spice up the Sattu Ka Ghol.
6. I have used home-made black pepper powder and roasted cumin powder here.
7. Finely chopped fresh mint leaves can be added to the drink too. I haven’t.
8. Adding the finely chopped onion to the Sattu Ka Ghol is optional, but I would highly recommend doing so. It adds a lovely bite and flavour to the drink.
9. Make sure you use chilled water to make the drink. I prefer using water naturally chilled in an earthen pot over refrigerated water.
10. Ensure that the sattu is well dissolved in the little water you initially add in, without any lumps, before adding the rest of the ingredients.

Did you like this recipe? Do tell me, in your comments!

********************

This post is for the Food Bloggers Recipe Swap group. Every month, the food bloggers who are part of this group pair up, with every pair cooking a recipe from each other’s blog. I was paired with Sasmita this month, and chose this Sattu Ka Ghol recipe from her blog.

Also, do check out the recipes that the other members of Food Bloggers Recipe Swap have come up with: Paniyaram by Mireille| Raw Banana Fry by Nayna| Veg Mayo Sandwich by Pavani| Mango Burfi by Lathiya| Oats Dosa by Usha| Pineapple Sorbet by Narmadha| Appam by Shalini| Poha Chivda by Sasmita| Turkish Semolina Pudding by Sandhya| Imli Ka Amlana by Jayashree

I’m also sharing this post with Fiesta Friday #276.