Sarson ka Saag
Mustard greens cooked down for an hour, mashed rough, thickened with makki atta, and finished with a mustard oil tadka and ghee melting on top.
Ingredients
Serves 4
- 500 g sarson (mustard greens), washed and chopped
- 250 g palak (spinach), washed and chopped
- 150 g bathua leaves, washed and chopped (or use extra spinach)
- 1 large onion, chopped fine, for the tadka
- 2-inch piece ginger, chopped fine (about 2 tbsp)
- 10 garlic cloves, chopped fine
- 3 green chillies, chopped
- 3 tbsp makki ka atta (maize flour)
- 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
- 3 tbsp Cold Pressed Black Mustard Oil
- 2 tbsp Gir Cow's A2 Ghee
- 1 tsp red chilli powder
- 1 cup (240 ml) water, for cooking the greens
- 1 tbsp ginger, cut into thin strips, to serve
Quantities are scaled up. Taste as you go and adjust the salt and spice.
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January in a village outside Ludhiana. The greens have been on since morning in a big pot and the kitchen smells faintly bitter and green. Somebody works a wooden madhani through them, up and down, until they collapse but never go smooth. Makki atta is sprinkled in while stirring, and over the next twenty minutes the saag turns thick and glossy and starts holding the shape of the spoon. Makki di roti, white butter, a lump of gud on the side.
Wooden cold pressed black mustard oil is the tadka. Heat it in a small kadhai till it thins and a light smoke lifts off, then bring the flame down before the onion goes in. That old Punjabi step burns off the raw sting and leaves a deep nutty warmth that stands up to greens this strong. A milder oil simply disappears here. At the table, Gir Cow's A2 Ghee is melted and poured over the top, and saag without that spoon is only half done.
The one thing that decides saag is the makki atta. Sprinkle it over the hot greens a little at a time while stirring, never dumped in one go, or it sets into lumps you cannot break. Then keep it on a low flame for a full fifteen to twenty minutes. That is what turns it from watery greens into saag.
How to make it
- Wash the greens in two or three changes of water till no grit is left. Chop them roughly, soft stems and all. The stems add body to the saag.
- Put the greens in a pressure cooker with half the ginger, half the garlic, the green chillies, salt and 1 cup water. Cook for 3 whistles, then let the pressure drop on its own. No cooker? Simmer covered in a big pot for 35 to 40 minutes till the greens are very soft.
- Mash the greens with a wooden madhani or pulse a hand blender a few times. Stop while it is still a little coarse. Saag should never be a smooth paste.
- Put the pot back on low heat. Sprinkle the makki ka atta over the saag while stirring, so no lumps form. Cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring now and then, till the saag turns thick and glossy. Add a splash of hot water if it gets too thick.
- For the tadka, heat the mustard oil in a small kadhai on medium-high till it is very hot and a light smoke rises. Lower the flame to medium. Add the onion and fry till golden, about 5 minutes.
- Add the rest of the ginger and garlic. Fry for a minute till the raw smell goes. Switch off the flame and stir in the red chilli powder.
- Pour the tadka over the saag and mix well. Simmer for 5 more minutes on low.
- Melt the ghee and pour it over the saag just before serving. Top with the ginger strips. Serve hot with makki di roti, a piece of jaggery and white butter.
Tips
- Makki di roti: knead 2 cups makki ka atta with warm water and a pinch of salt. Pat each ball flat between two sheets of plastic or on a wet cloth. Cook on a hot tawa with ghee till spotted golden on both sides.
- Saag tastes even better the next day. Cool it, keep it in the fridge for up to 3 days, and reheat with a splash of water and a fresh spoon of ghee.
- No bathua? Just use 400 g spinach in total. The saag will taste a little milder, which many people like.
- Keep the tadka on medium heat once the onion goes in, so the garlic does not burn and turn bitter.
