Sarson ka Saag( Cooked Mustard Greens)

Sarson Ka Saag is a popular vegetarian winter delicacy from the North West regions of Indian subcontinent primarily from the states of Punjab ,Rajasthan and Haryana.I come from neither of the states but still love this preparation of mustard greens and during winter season without any fail I cook this dish several times.My fascination for this dish developed right from my childhood days.A regular advertisement in the news paper with the caption”Sarson da saag,makki di roti and ek gilass lassi” would make me drool even at the age when I was not much aware of how mustard greens would taste.It was not that mustard greens were not cooked at my home but not in the manner it was prepared in Punjab or what I could perceive from the advertisement.So I was never a fan of it but had to compulsorily eat on my mother’s strict instructions.However,now I like to eat both the versions of mustard greens equally and enjoy eating with lots of butter. So coming to the version from Punjab “sarson ka saag” is a dish which is prepared using mustard greens mixed with other greens like spinach and bathua(chenopodium album) in little quantities.It is a main course vegetarian dish which is served with makki ki roti(flat bread made from corn meal) with a generous helping of white butter or ghee(clarified butter).So let us jump to the recipe below which is packed with nutrition and has immense potential to heal us from with in.

Recipe

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

• 500 gm mustard greens
• 100 gm spinach
• 1 tbsp chopped ginger
• 1 tbsp chopped garlic
• 4-5 green chilies coarsely chopped
• Salt to taste
• 1 medium onion finely chopped
• 1 medium tomato finely chopped
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tbsp dry kasuri methi(Dry fenugreek leaves)
• 1/2 tsp asafoetida / hing
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 2-3 broken red chilies
• 1 tbsp corn meal
• Ghee

Method:

• Wash thoroughly mustard greens and spinach leaves in ample water to get rid of all the dirt.(In this recipe I have not added bathuwa leaves(chenopodium album).
• Roughly chop the leaves.
• In a pressure cooker put mustard greens and spinach leaves along with chopped ginger,garlic, green chilies and some salt.(You can even cook in a skillet instead of pressure cooker).
• Add 1/4 cup of water just enough to develop the pressure for the whistle to blow.
• Cook for two whistles and switch off the flame.
• Immediately release the pressure and open the lid.This step will ensure that the color of the cooked mustard greens remains green.
• Once the cooked mustard greens has cooled down ,grind it coarsely with the help of a hand blender or in a mixer grinder.
  

  

  

  
• In a frying pan heat 2 tbsp of ghee.
• Add chopped onions and fry till golden brown.
• Add in the chopped tomatoes along with some salt and cook till tomatoes are mashed and ghee separates.
• Now add coriander powder and dry kasuri methi(dry fenugreek leaves).Give it a quick mix and add in the pureed mustard greens.
• Mix well and adjust the salt.
• Dissolve 1 tbsp of corn meal in 1/4 cup of water and mix it into the saag (mustard greens).(Addition of corn meal will give a nice consistency to the saag and will also add to the taste.)
• Cook till the saag starts bubbling.Switch off the flame.
  

  

  

  

  

  

  
• Heat 2-3 tbsp of ghee in a tadka (tempering pan).
• Add hing ,cumin and broken red chilies and immediately pour it over the prepared saag.
  

  
• Saag is ready to be served.Serve it hot with makki ki roti( flat bread prepared from corn meal) with a dollop of butter/or freshly prepared white butter on the side.

Enjoy!!!………………………………………………………………….Happy Cooking!!!………………………………….