sarso ka saag

sarson ka saag recipe

A winter staple in north india. comforting sarson ka saag aka mustard greens. creamy and delicious greens

* COURSE main

 *CUISINE north indian

 *PREP TIME 2 hours

* COOK TIME 2 hours

 *TOTAL TIME 4 hours

*SERVINGS 7 -8

INGREDIENTS (1 cup = 250 ml)

for the saag:

• 1 bunch mustard leaves (sarson)
• ½ bunch bathua leaves(chenopodium)
• ½ bunch spinach leaves (palak)
• 1 cup chopped tender radish leaves(mooli ke patte)
• 2 to 3 inches white radish root (mooli)
• 1 cup fenugreek leaves, chopped (methi leaves)
• 2 medium sized onions, chopped
• 3 medium sized tomatoes, chopped
• 2 inch ginger, chopped (adrak)
• 2 green chilies, chopped (hari mirch)
• 7-8 garlic, chopped (lahsun)
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder (lal mirch powder)
• 1-2 pinch asafoetida or ¼ teaspoon asafoetida powder (hing)
• 2 to 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoon maize flour
• salt as required

for the tempering for 3 servings:

• 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
• 1 to 2 tablespoon oil
• 3 bowls of cooked saag

HOW TO MAKE RECIPE

1. firstly clean and chop all the greens.
2. then wash the greens well.
3. in a pressure cooker or pan add all the ingredients listed under saag except for maize flour.
4. cover the pressure cook and cook for 6-7 minutes or more.
5. if cooking in a pan, then cover and let the greens cook till done. do check occasionally.
6. pour the greens along with the stock and maize flour in a blender.
7. blend till smooth.
8. in another pan, pour the pureed greens.
9. simmer for a good 25-30 minutes.
10. in another small pan, heat oil or ghee
11. add the chopped onions and fry them till light brown.
12. add the prepared saag. stir and simmer for a couple of minutes.
13. stir ocaasionally.
14. serve sarson ka saag hot with some chopped onions, whole green chilies and a dollop of butter on the saag with makki di roti

step by step punjabi sarson ka saag recipe:

1: chop and clean all the greens.chop off the lower end of the mustard seems just a few centimeters from the base. the mustard stems can be tough. in this case you can discard the stems or keep them. if you keep them, then they have to be cooked really well so that they become soft. luckily, i had tender stems in the mustard bunch. all the greens, sorted and nicely laid on the table… all going in the fridge for the saag to be made the next day.

2: washing the greens. this is the tough part. you have to really wash the greens, especially the mustard greens well to get rid of the mud or soil clinging to the stems. i did this task in batches.

3: the washed greens go in the pressure cooker.

4: adding our other veggies – radish, onion, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.

5: now adding some spice & salt – green chilies, red chili powder, asafoetida & salt. the saag is midly spiced and yet tastes so good.

6: pour water.

7: cover and pressure cook for 6-7 minutes or more till the greens become soft. you can also cook in a pan. cover and let the greens cook till they become soft.

8: now let the pressure settle in the cooker. open the lid… you see the greens, onions, tomatoes et all… all cooked well. let the green mixture warm or cool down.

9: then in a blender take some of the greens.

10: add maize flour. the maize flour helps in making the saag smooth as well as thickening it and does imparts its flavor to the saag.

11: blend till smooth. i usually make a smooth puree. some folks like a coarse texture. so you decide how you want your saag. i blended in batches. you can also use a hand blender for the same and blend in the cooker itself. if doing this then chop the greens before you pressure cook them. it is easier to blend with a hand blender then. the traditional way is to use a madani (the indian hand blender) to blend the greens.

12:  now pour the greens puree in a pan. i used the pressure cooker as while simmering the saag, it bubbles and splutters. so be careful and use a deep pan.

13: simmer and simmer for a good 25-30 minutes. stir occasionally so that the saag does not stick to the bottom of the pan. check the seasoning and add more salt if required. once cooled, the saag can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge.

14: so now after this comes the final touch… the saag is not ready to be served yet. we have to temper the saag. we always temper the saag with onions, but you can temper with some ginger, green chilies and tomatoes too along with the onions. heat oil or ghee and add chopped onions. the amount of oil/ghee and onions to be added depends on the portions of saag you will be serving. so for 3 servings, 1 to 2 tbsp oil with 1 medium sized onion is alright.

15: lightly brown the onions.

16: add the cooked sarson ka saag. simmer.

17:  serve the hot sarson ka saag saagstraight away with makki di roti. the best is to serve with makki di roti. nothing beats this combination. but you can also serve sarson ka saag with parathas and steamed rice.

By:-Akanksha Shukla