Sarson ka saag recipe, Sarson da saag

Sarson ka saag/ Sarson da saag is delicious and authentic Punjabi dish prepared with greens and served with Indian flatbread prepared with maize flour. This dish is prepared primarily with mustard leaves/ sarson but to balance its bitterness and to elevate the taste greens like methi/ fenugreek leaves, bathua leaves, spinach/ palak and sometimes radish leaves are used. So all the greens have their proportions in the recipe which plays key role in the taste of the dish. So here in my recipe I have used 1 portion of mustard leaves and half portion of other greens as we all are used to the taste of mustard leaves, but if you are trying out recipes with sarson/ mustard leaves for the first time you can try adding equal portions of spinach/ palak leaves and mustard leaves to balance the bitterness and taste.

I could not get hold of bathua leaves during this lockdown do skipped that, but still it tasted great. Something important I am missing about the recipe. So other than the greens we have some radish pieces going into the dish for taste along with some maize flour for thickness and taste. So don’t skip any of this as it adds to the taste.

Now coming to the color part in the dish, as you can see in the picture this dish has this vibrant green color just retained from the greens as the dish talks much with its appearance and stands out for it as well. So I retained the color by cooking the greens in open pot by adding the greens in boiling water. Some of friends suggested pressure cooking it when they gave the recipe but I refused it and adopted the same boiling method which I do for Palak paneer. Also I dint blend the cooked greens in mixie/ blender instead used the traditional hand churner (comes in wood) to get that texture. So don’t miss on that part as well. This recipe tastes great when cooked in desi ghee and often served with a dollop of butter. This dish goes well with regular roti as well. Finally thanks to our dhaba restaurant near us who made us so addicted to this dish and missed eating there so tried making it at home during this lockdown. Hope you guys will like it too. So let’s get to the making!

Sarson ka saag recipe, Sarson da saag

2020-05-01 00:58:28

Serves 3

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

50 min

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

30 min

Total Time

50 min

Ingredients

1. Sarson/ Mustard leaves – 1 bunch
2. Palak/ Spinach – ½ bunch
3. Methi leaves – ½ bunch
4. Bathua leaves – ½ bunch
5. Radish – 2 (small sized, baby radish)
6. Onion -1
7. Green chili – 2
8. Ginger – ½ tsp
9. Garlic – ½ tsp
10. Maize flour – 2 tbsp
11. Ghee- 2 tbsp
12. Butter – 1 tbsp
13. Cumin seeds – ¼ tsp
14. Salt – to taste

Note

* 1 cup = 235 ml

Instructions

Wash the greens thoroughly till all the greens are clean. Peel radish and slice them. For the mustard leaves chop the bottom stem alone as they might be tough sometimes if they are tender then just chop the bottom. Use the palak/ spinach and methi leaves alone discarding the stem.
Boil water in a pot and add washed spinach and radish slices in it. Cook until spinach is done. (Do not cover it with lid to retain spinach color). When done allow it to cool down and churn it into mashy consistency/ paste. Keep this greens aside.
Heat tbsp of ghee in a pan to it add cumin seeds when it crackles add chopped ginger and garlic. Saute well until the raw smell is gone . Now add chopped onion and green chili. Saute well once until it turns translucent.
When onions look sauteed add maize flour. Roast it well in low flame until fully cooked and aromatic. Make sure it us cooked fully as uncooked maize flour might cause stomach ache. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes. When the maize flour looks cooked the spinach paste and salt. Give it a stir. Now add required water to it and allow it to boil. ( I used the same water with which I boiled spinach). We want the gravy to be thick so add less water. Allow the mixture to cook well in medium flame until well combined. Do not put lid which cooking the greens. When everything looks combined put off the flame and serve it hot with a dollop of butter it hot with roti or naan.

By Sandhya Riyaz

Sandhya's recipes https://www.sandyathome.com/

How to make Sarson ka saag with step by step images

Wash the mustard leaves thoroughly till the greens are clean free from dirt and sand. For the mustard leaves chop the bottom stem alone as they might be tough sometimes if they are tender then just chop the bottom.
Wash methi leaves and palak leaves until they are clean free from dirt and sand. Use the palak/ spinach and methi leaves alone discarding the stem.
Boil water in a pot and add washed spinach and radish slices in it. Cook until spinach is done. Make sure the spinach is cooked well. (Do not cover it with lid to retain spinach color). When done allow it to cool down.
When the greens have cooled down churn it into mashy consistency/ paste using a traditional hand churner. This way the dish gets more tasty. If you don’t have this at home use blender. Keep this mashed greens aside.
Heat 2 tbsp of ghee in a pan to it add cumin seeds when it crackles add chopped ginger and garlic. Saute well until the raw smell is gone.
Now to the sauteed ginger and garlic add chopped onion and green chili. Saute well once it turns translucent.
When onions look sauteed add maize flour. Roast it well in low flame until fully cooked and aromatic. Make sure it us cooked fully as uncooked maize flour might cause stomach ache. This should take about 3 to 5 minutes.
When the maize flour looks cooked add the spinach paste and salt. Give it a stir. Now add required water to it and allow it to boil. ( I used the same water with which I boiled spinach). We want the gravy to be thick so add less water. Allow the mixture to cook well in medium flame until well combined. Do not put lid which cooking the greens. When everything looks combined put off the flame and serve it hot with a dollop of butter it hot with roti or naan.