Sattu is the cheapest source of protein you can get. You can make it from bhuna chana or roasted chickpeas that are easily available in the market. Once you grind them and make it into flour it doesn’t need any roasting or cooking for using in any of the dishes. It has low Glycemic Index and high fiber content and is one of the highest sources of vegetarian proteins that is easily digestible and also of calcium and magnesium. It provides iron too.
Popped amaranth dry fruit Laddoo
Popped amaranth contains a whooping 9 gm of complete protein in one cup. Much more than the much touted quinoa.
Enjoy this as a post or pre-workout snack. Pack it in tiffin box for kids or eat whenever small hunger strikes.
Actually I wanted to make the dry fruit laddu minus these two ingredients and then I got greedy and added them too to make this a combo power ball of nutrition.
There are no strict measurements but still I will give you an approximate idea.
Ingredients :
Fresh homemade Chana Sattu – 100 gm
Pitted dates – 10
Dried figs – 6-8
Mixed nuts ( soaked, roasted and chopped fine) – 1/2 cup
Mixed seeds ( soaked & roasted) – 4 tablespoon
Raisins – 10-15
Cardamom Powder – 1/4 tsp
Ghee (warmed) – 1 tbsp ( optional)
Steps :
Gather all the ingredients in one place.
For just the dry fruit laddoo, blend dates and figs coarsely in a mixer then remove it in a plate. Pulse the chopped dry fruits, raisins, seeds coarsely. ( if you chop very fine then omit this step)
In a large bowl mix the date and fig mixture with the chopped nuts and seeds mixture. Rub in with your fingers so that both the mixtures get properly incorporated. Now make small bite size balls and store in an airtight container. If you heat the dates/figs then the shelf life is more.
To make the ladoo / laddu with sattu :
Coarsely pulse the chopped dates and figs in a blender.
In a large bowl take sattu, add the dates/figs mixture and the finely chopped or coarsely ground nuts/seeds mixture, popped amaranth and warm ghee ( if using).
Now rub in with your fingers so that the the entire mixture resembles a crumble. Keep mixing with fingers till it starts looking like a dough.
Now, make bite size balls or ladoos with it.
Note –Moisture will reduce the shelf life so you take a call on this. If the dates / figs are very dry you can microwave them in a safe dish for a minute or two.
The sweetness of the ladoos will depend on the amount and quality of dates/figs you have used. Once the mixture is ready and you find it less sweet for your taste then add a little honey. I prefer to keep it low in sweetness.
I used almonds, pistachio, cashew, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, organic popped amaranth seeds for this recipe. You can use whatever combination you desire.
Roast the nuts well and powder them to enhance the flavour and shelf life.
Slightly roasted grated dry coconut can also be added.
To make it healthier, add popped amaranth seeds with the rest of the ingredients.
Amaranth seeds