Sattu Tawa Paratha
Sattu Tawa Paratha
Sattu Tawa Paratha is one of the most popular breakfast foods in Bihar. It is whole wheat flatbread, stuffed with spicy masala prepared with sattu (roasted chickpea flour), onions, chillies and spices.
Sattu is referred to as ‘poor man’s protein’ and is popular in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Uttar Pradesh. This underrated food ingredient has received much deserving recognition in recent times and is gaining popularity as superfood due to its high nutritional value.
Sattu is traditionally made by dry roasting the Bengal gram (chickpeas) in sand and then grinding it into flour. Sattu and gram flour (besan) can easily be confused together, and it is worth noting that they are two different flours. The difference being that besan is the flour of raw gram, and sattu is the flour of the roasted gram.
Sattu is rich in protein, fiber, iron, manganese, and magnesium, and low on sodium, sattu provides instant energy and works as a cooling agent.
My Sattu Tawa Paratha is nothing fancy, it is a basic recipe which is made in so many homes across India. Spiced sattu is stuffed in dough and pan fried until crispy and brown. Every family has their own variations to this paratha and there is no right or wrong way to spice up this paratha.
Other breads you might like to try are Onion Coriander Sriracha Focaccia, Tingmo, Roomali Roti, Mint and Sesame Lachha Paratha, Moong Dal Paratha and Lebanese Zaatar Man’oushe.
Ingredients
For The Dough
2 cups wheat flour
½ cup water
1 tablespoon ghee
For The Filling
4 tablespoons sattu
1 large finely chopped onion
2 finely chopped green chillies
2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds
½ teaspoon red chilli powder
¼ teaspoon mango powder
1-2 teaspoons water
To Fry Paratha
¼ cup ghee/oil for making parathas
Directions
In a bowl mix wheat flour and water to form a soft smooth dough. Add ghee and knead it for a couple of minutes. Let the dough rest for 30 minutes.
In a bowl add sattu, onions, green chillies, coriander, salt, cumin seeds, red chilli powder, mango powder and mix until everything is well combined. Leave it aside for 10-15 minutes for the onions to release water. Mix again and add 1 teaspoon of water to bring the mixture together (If the stuffing is too dry then it will fall off while eating so the stuffing should be slightly moist so it will stick well with the paratha).
Taste to adjust the seasoning according to your taste. Make 6-7 balls out of the stuffing.
Once the dough has rested make 6-7 balls out of the dough. Roll the dough ball in some dried flour and roll it into a circle of 3-4 inches in diameter. Apply around 1/8 teaspoon oil on the rolled dough (optional). Place 1 ball of filling in the center (you can add more filling, but I would suggest not overfilling).
Bring all the edges together to the center and then pinch to seal the edges. Gently flatten the filled dough ball using your hands. Dust some dry flour on the dough ball and roll it to a circle of around 5-6 inches diameter. (I always use dry flour while rolling especially when it becomes difficult to roll or feels slightly sticky).
Heat a flat pan or tawa on medium heat. Transfer the rolled paratha onto the hot pan. Cook the side for 1-2 minutes on medium to hot heat until it is partially cooked and then flip over. Apply ½ teaspoon ghee/oil on the half-cooked side and flip again. Apply ghee/oil on the other side as well and press with a spatula/roti presser and cook the paratha until both sides have golden brown spots on them. Make sure to press the edges so that they get cooked as well. Repeat the process for the rest of the parathas.
Serve sattu paratha hot.
