Ahalya had sprats with her lunch of red rice, veges, greens, legumes and coconut milk. And sprats were her 44th ingredient to try. I prepared this dried fish by soaking it and washing it thoroughly in order to remove the salt curing.
Then I dried it out completely in the oven -until crisp- and ground it into a fine powder using a mortar and pestle.
Sprats, also known as halmasso in Sri Lanka, contain a lot of nutrients. They are full of poly-unsaturated fatty acids. And in large quantities, these acids prevent atherosclerosis and reduce the level of harmful cholesterol in the human body.
The sprat also has a large amount of calcium, which is important for bone formation and, healthy hair, nails and teeth in babies. In addition, it regulates the process of blood clotting.
It is also a great source of B vitamins, zinc, fluorine, nickel, molybdenum, magnesium, potassium, phosphorus, chlorine and iron.
Interestingly, the key benefits of sprats lie in the tail and bones such as the abundance of phosphorus (to absorb calcium you needs phosphorus). This fish is also known for its vitamin D content and omega 3 fatty acids, and has pronounced antioxidant properties, which are all important for the healthy growth of an infant.
PINKPOPPYPETAL 