Sarson Ka Saag Punjabi Style My Food Story

on Jan 31, 2022 Come winters, making sarson da saag and makki roti is an absolute must. But traditionally, making sarson da saag is quite a lengthy process that involves cooking the leafy greens are first cooked for about 90 minutes in a large earthen pot until they’re soft and mushy. It is then ground to a coarse paste using a wooden whisk, before finally tempering it with ghee, onions, tomatoes and a few spices. But my sarson da saag recipe is simpler and a whole lot quicker. We use a pressure cooker to cook the greens a lot faster, before tempering it as usual. But don’t worry, using a pressure cooker doesn’t affect the taste or texture in way.

Reasons Why You’ll Love This Sarson Ka Saag Recipe

By pressure cooking the greens, the cooking time is reduced to nearly half and the entire dish comes together in less than an hour. It is the perfect way to include greens and other fresh winter produce in your family’s diet. Despite its long list of ingredients, this dish is surprisingly easy to make.Can be made in a large batch and frozen for future use.Can be made ahead as this dish tastes a lot better the next day.The combination of leafy greens makes this dish a rich source of fibre, antioxidants and vitamins.This recipe is naturally gluten free and can be easily made vegan by excluding ghee and curd.

Ingredient you Need

Here are the main ingredients you’ll need to make some delicious sarson ka saag this winter:

Sarson/mustard leaves: Sarson or mustard leaves have a dark green colour and a sharp, pungent taste. This winter produce is the star ingredient of this recipe. While it is best to use fresh leaves, you can easily replace them with pre-cut, cleaned and even frozen mustard leaves.Greens: This recipe uses spinach and bathua leaves to balance out the sharp taste of sarson and add a dash of earthiness. If you don’t have access to bathua, you can easily replace it with methi (fresh fenugreek leaves), kale, collard greens or arugula.Radish and radish greens: Radish and radish greens enhance the flavour of mustard.Ginger and garlic: For flavour, balance and aromaGreen garlic: Optional but adding a dash of green garlic when cooking the greens makes this more garlickyMakki atta: Makki atta is used to thicken and make the saag creamyGhee: Ghee is used along with mustard oil in the tempering processWhite butter: A must in my opinion for a well rounded flavour

How to make Sarson ka Saag

Heat mustard oil and ghee and add jeera, ginger, garlic, green chilli paste.
Saute for a minute and add onions. Cook till translucent
Add tomatoes, chilli powder and salt and cook till mushy.
Add the greens mixture to the onion tomato paste
Also add the reserved water plus an additional half cup of water and cook for 5-10 minutes till you start seeing some oil on top.
Whisk together curd and makki atta and add the mixture along with jaggery to the pan. Bring this to a quick boil while stirring continuously to avoid any lumps.
Once it starts boiling; reduce the flame, adjust water if required and cook covered for 5-10 minutes or till you start seeing specks of fat float on top. Add a big dollop of makhan on top.
Serve hot with makki ki rotis

Tips to help you nail sarson ka saag

Leafy greens are usually covered in dirt and mud. Thoroughly wash the leaves under running water to get rid of all the impurities before cooking them.Since we are grinding the greens in this recipe, there’s no need to chop them. But if you want to try the traditional method of using a wooden whisk to mash the greens, make sure to finely chop all the greens before adding them to the pressure cooker.Sarson da saag usually has a coarse, creamy texture. I like to achieve this using a stick blender in place of the usual mixture-grinder. A stick blender allows for better control and helps me attain that beautiful coarse texture every time. If you don’t have a stick blender, pulse the mixture in a mixture grinder and check every few seconds.This recipe can even be prepared with frozen greens. Just thaw and squeeze out any excess liquid before cooking it.If you are making a large batch, refrigerate the extra saag in an airtight container without tempering. This saag recipe stays good in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and can be frozen for up to a month. For a more wholesome dish, you can always add paneer or chicken to the saag. Check out my recipes for authentic saag paneer and saag chicken for some inspiration.

Sarson ka saag is the perfect dish to celebrate winters and the bountiful fresh produce. The creamy texture and the garlic-y rustic flavours are sure to leave you craving for more. Top it with lots of fresh homemade butter, serve with hot makki rotis and jaggery for a wholesome, nutritious and comforting meal this winter. While sarson ka saag tastes best with makki roti, you can also serve it with roti, paratha or steamed basmati rice.