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Sarson ka Saag in a bowl topped with white butter and makki ki roti and gud (jaggery) on the side

Sarson Ka Saag

Shweta Arora
Sarson ka saag is a winter special recipe from Northern India. It is made from mustard greens, a few other greens, and spices. This Punjabi saag is served topped with homemade white butter with a side of Makki ki roti (maize flour flatbread), jaggery, and onions. A healthy, vegetarian, and delicious meal!!
5 from 2 votes
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Indian
Servings 4

Equipment

Ingredients
  

To pressure cook

  • 226 gms sarson 1 bunch, 0.5 pound or 8oz, mustard greens
  • 226 gms mixed greens 0.5 pounds or 8oz, using a mix of collard, turnip leaves, and spinach leaves
  • 6 fat garlic cloves
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 3-4 green chilies adjust to taste
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ cup water

For tadka/Tempering

  • 2-3 tablespoon ghee
  • ¼ teaspoon hing asafoetida
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 1 red onion finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ginger minced
  • 1 tablespoon garlic minced
  • 2 tomatoes finely chopped
  • ½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander powder dhania powder
  • ¼ - ½ teaspoon garam masala
  • ½ teaspoon salt adjust to taste

Other ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon Makki ka atta corn flour, maize flour

Instructions
 

To pressure cook the saag

  • Remove the thick portion of the stems and wash the greens thoroughly and chop them roughly.
  • Add the greens to the pressure cooker pot along with garlic, ginger, green chilies, salt, and ¼ cup of water. Pressure cook in a pressure cooker or Instant Pot.
  • Pressure cooker: Cook for 1 whistle on high heat then turn the heat to low and simmer for 15-20 mins before turning the heat off. Allow the steam to release naturally.
  • Instant Pot: Close the lid with vent to sealing and cook on manual (pressure cook) high mode for 5 mins followed by natural release.
  • Stovetop: Alternately you can also cook it in a pot on the stovetop for 30 mins partially covered, stirring intermittently until well cooked.
  • Once the steam escapes/ pin drops, open the pressure cooker/Instant Pot. The cooked greens should be soft, they will shrink in size, change color from bright green to dull, and should be soft and well done.
  • You can either mash these with Mathani (takes time and more effort) or a hand blender (like I did, easy way) to a smooth or slightly coarse texture. I prefer a slightly coarse paste.
    To use a regular blender, let it cool completely before pureeing.
  • While the saag is pressure cooking make the tadka.

To make the tadka (tempering)

  • In pan heat ghee, add the red chilies (broken in half or keep them whole for less heat), hing (asafoetida ) saute for few seconds, and add the onions. Cook until the onions are soft.
  • Add the ginger-garlic and cook until the onions are golden brown.
  • Stir in the tomatoes and cook covered until tomatoes are soft (about 5 mins). Stir intermittently.
  • Add the spices (chilli powder, coriander powder, and garam masala) and cook until the masala is well cooked (soft) about 2-3 mins and starts oozing ghee from the sides.

Mix tadka with saag

  • Start the Instant pot on saute mode (low) or transfer the saag to a heavy-bottomed pot. Add Makki atta and mix until smooth.
  • Simmer for 10-15 mins stirring regularly to prevent the saag from sticking to the bottom. It will thicken as it simmers.
  • Once the saag has thickened (to your liking, I prefer mine thicker), add the tadka and mix well. Simmer for another 5 mins.
  • Sarson ka Saag is ready!! It will thicken as it sits so adjust consistency with water before serving as needed.
  • Serve it hot topped with ghee and white butter along with Makki ki roti, jaggery, onions, and pickle!

Notes

  • You can also make this saag with just mustards greens and spinach in the ratio of 2:1 if you can't find other greens. Both are easily available in grocery stores in the USA. Or use a bag of mixed greens (mustard, collard, turnip, and spinach). 
  • It's important to cook the greens well else they will taste raw. The color of saag will be dull dark green and not bright green due to cooking greens for a longer time which is absolutely fine. Well cooked saag will also taste less bitter.
  • To make Sarson ka saag without maize flour, use whole wheat flour (atta) or gram flour (besan) instead.
  • To make it vegan, skip ghee and make the tadka in oil. Skip hing for gluten-free saag.
  • Adjust the consistency of saag to your liking by adding water.
  • Saag recipe can be easily doubled and made in bulk as it stores and freezes well. Heat the leftover saag in ghee (always) and serve hot with Makki ki roti. 
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