Sarson Ka Saag (Authentic Punjabi Mustard Greens Saag)
Sarson Ka saag is a seasonal punjabi recipe prepared using mustard greens(sarson) and fresh spinach. Served with makki roti & gud.
Ingredients
For Boiling Sarson Ka Saag
- 500 g Mustard Greens
- 450 g spinach Greens
- 100 g bathua leaves if available
- 100 g turnip roughly chopped, 1 medium
- 80 g (3-4 inches) mooli daikon, roughly chopped
- 1.5 tablespoon ginger roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves roughly chopped or left whole if small
- 4 scallion(spring onions) green & white stalks roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon salt adjust to taste
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 2 pinch hing (asafoetida)
- 2 cup water
To Add To Saag After Boiling
- 5 tablespoon makki atta (maize flour)
For Tempering
- ⅓ cup mustard oil
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 3 dried red chilies
- 2 cup red onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon fresh ginger chopped
- 4-5 garlic cloves chopped
- 1 tablespoon cilantro stems chopped
- 3-4 green chilies (hot, I use indian green chillies), chopped, adjust quantity to taste
- 1 large tomato chopped,
- 3 tablespoon butter to finish,
Instructions
Cook the Saag
- Wash the greens by soaking them in a large pot of water for 5 minutes. Drain and discard the water. Keep repeating until no dirt is visible at bottom of pot and water runs clean. Drain over a colander to remove excess water.
- Cut the mustard leaves from the stems and roughly chop them. If the stems are too fibrous, discard them. Peel the skin of tender stem parts and roughly chop . Repeat for spinach leaves. Don't use the stems of greens if they a very hard- those down cook down well and could make your saag stringy.
- Add the greens and stems along with turnip & mooli to a large pot or dutch oven (5 qt or larger). Add all the ingredients listed under "For Sarson Ka Saag". Cover the pot with a lid.
- Place the pot on stove and let cook for 25-35 minutes on low medium heat until the greens are cooked through. You will need to check a few times to make sure that the bottom is not burning. Alternatively, you can pressure cook the greens for 7-8 minutes and 3-4 whistles.
- While the saag is boiling, in a small pan, dry roast the makki atta lightly. Keep the roasted makki atta near.
- Once the greens are cooked, using an immersion blender or in a food processor fitted with metal blade, blend the cooked greens to a coarse paste. Don't puree smooth. At this point, the saag will be resemble a slurry.
Tempering the Saag
- In a large cooking pan(10 inch or large), warm up the mustard oil till lightly smoky.
- Temper with cumin, dried & green chilies. Add the chopped onions next and fry them over medium heat until nicely browned.
- Add the ginger, garlic and green chilies next and saute for a minute or so.
- Add the tomatoes next and cook until they soften. Don't cook too much. The tadka should be chunky.
- Pour the mashed saag over the onion tomato tadka and add the roasted makki atta. Stir very well. Simmer the saag for 10-12 minutes. As the saag cooks, it will thicken and acquire a thickish yet pourable consistency. You can add ¼ to ½ cup hot water to adjust the consistency if desired. Taste and adjust the salt while its slow cooking. Simmer until everything looks coherent
- Once you see bubbles on the top of saag and oil seperating gently, you saah is ready. Finish with butter. Serve with warm makki roti.
Instant Pot Sarson Saag (For reference I use a 6 qt Instant pot)
- Add the greens to the pot along with all the ingredients listed under "For Sarson Ka Saag". Add 1.5 cup water.
- Close the instant pot lid. Press pressure cook and set the timer to 11 minutes. Let the saag cook on high pressure for 11 minutes in sealed position. Let pressure release naturally for 10 minutes and then release the pressure by sliding the seal valve to vent position.
- Using an immersion blender, blend the saag. If you dont have immersion blender, transfer the contents to a food processor or blender and grind the saag coarsely.
- Press saute on your IP. Sprinkle the roasted makki atta over saag and mix well making sure that no lumps are formed. At this point, add some water if needed to adjust the consistency of saag. Let the saag simmer on saute mode with frequent stirring so that it doesnt catch the bottom We want to cook the makki atta that we added. The saag bubbles a lot during this time so I usually cover it.
- Meanwhile, in a skillet make the saag tadka as outlined above. Mix in the tadka and butter to the saag and combine well. You could cook for a few minutes for flavors to meld together.
Video
Notes
- Don't chop the onions, tomato etc very fine for tempering. We want a chunky tempering.
- Dont skimp on oil, ghee or butter when making sarson saag.
- Use vegan butter in place of ghee as need to make it suitable for plant based diet.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!