Sattu (Indian roasted barley drink)

Bihar's ancient roasted barley cooling drink

Origin: Bihar / Uttar Pradesh, India

From the journey of Barley.

Sattu is one of India's oldest foods, tracing a direct line to the barley cultivation of the Indus Valley Civilisation over 4,000 years ago. Made by roasting barley (or a blend of barley and chickpeas) and grinding it into a coarse flour, sattu is Bihar's defining ingredient, stirred into cold water with lemon and black salt for a refreshing summer drink, or kneaded with mustard oil and spices to stuff into flatbreads (litti). Long dismissed as peasant food, sattu is now celebrated as a nutritional powerhouse: high in protein, fibre, and complex carbohydrates, it releases energy slowly and cools the body from within. During the fierce North Indian summer, a glass of sattu sherbet is drunk by labourers, students, and professionals alike, a four-thousand-year-old solution to a forty-degree afternoon.

Ingredients

  • 4 tbsp sattu flour (roasted barley flour, available at Indian grocers)
  • 500 ml cold water
  • 1 lemon, juiced
  • 0.5 tsp black salt (kala namak)
  • 0.5 tsp roasted cumin powder
  • 1 tsp sugar or jaggery (optional, to taste)
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated (optional)

Method

  1. Add the sattu flour to a tall glass or jug. Add a splash of cold water and whisk or stir vigorously until smooth with no lumps: this initial paste prevents clumping when the rest of the water is added.
  2. Add the remaining cold water, lemon juice, black salt, and roasted cumin powder. Stir well. Taste and adjust: it should be tangy, slightly savoury, and refreshing.
  3. Add sugar or jaggery if you prefer a sweeter balance, and grated ginger for warmth. Stir again, add ice, and serve immediately.

Notes

Sattu is most commonly made from roasted chana (chickpea) in modern Indian grocers, but barley sattu (jau sattu) is the older and more traditional form. You can also use it to make litti: small dough balls stuffed with spiced sattu, baked over charcoal, and served with chokha (roasted aubergine mash). This is the complete dish of Bihari cuisine, eaten at festivals and as a daily meal.

The Gastrographer

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