Sarson Ka Saag (Sarson da Saag) is a traditional Punjabi dish made with mustard greens, spinach, bathua and other leafy greens. It is especially popular during the North Indian winter and is traditionally served with Makki ki Roti.

Recipe Snapshot

  • Prep time: 120 minutes
  • Cook time: 120 minutes
  • Total time: 240 minutes
  • Yield: 8
  • Category: Main Course
  • Cuisine: North Indian, Punjabi

Ingredients

  • 1 bunch mustard greens ((sarson))
  • ½ bunch bathua leaves ((chenopodium/goosefoot/melde))
  • ½ bunch spinach leaves ((palak))
  • 1 cup chopped radish leaves (– use tender leaves, (mooli ke patte))
  • 3 to 4 inches white radish root
  • 1 cup fenugreek leaves (– chopped)
  • 1 cup or 2 medium-sized onion (– chopped)
  • 1½ cup or 3 medium-sized tomato (– chopped)
  • 2 inches ginger (– chopped)
  • 2 green chilies (– chopped)
  • 7 to 8 garlic (– medium sized, chopped)
  • ½ teaspoon red chili powder
  • 2 to 3 pinches or ⅛ teaspoon pinches asafoetida powder ((hing))
  • 2 to 3 cups water (or add as required)
  • 2 tablespoon maize flour (or fine cornmeal)
  • salt (as required)
  • ⅓ cup or 1 small to medium-sized onions (– finely chopped)
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (or ghee)
  • 2 cups cooked saag (or as required)

Method

Making Sarson ka Saag

  1. Firstly clean and chop all the greens. Then wash or rinse the greens very well in running water.
  2. In a 5 litre stovetop pressure cooker or pan add all the ingredients listed under "for sarson ka saag" except for maize flour.
  3. Cover the pressure cook and cook for 6 to 7 minutes or more on medium-high heat.
  4. If cooking in a pan, then cover and let the greens cook till tender and softened. Do check occasionally.
  5. Pour the greens along with the stock and maize flour in a blender. Blend till smooth.
  6. In another deep pan or in the same cooker, pour the pureed greens.
  7. Simmer for a good 25 to 30 minutes on a low heat stirring at intervals.

Tempering Sarson da Saag

  1. In another small pan, heat oil. Use any neutral oil. You can also make the tempering with ghee if you prefer.
  2. Add the chopped onions and saute them till light brown on medium-low heat.
  3. Add the prepared saag. Stir and simmer for a couple of minutes.
  4. Stir ocaasionally when the saag is simmering.

Serving Suggestions

  1. Serve sarson ka saag hot with a side of some chopped onions, whole green chilies or mango pickle. Top the saag with a dollop of white butter and serve with Makki di Roti. Also serve a few jaggery cubes by the side.
  2. For a vegan saag, omit adding white butter or use vegan butter.

Storage

  1. Store the pureed and simmered saag in an airtight container for 4 to 5 days in the refrigerator. You can also freeze it for a month.
  2. When ready to serve, remove the quantity you need from the refrigerator and temper it with the required amout of oil and onions.

Kiyaan Singh’s Kitchen Note

Keep this recipe as a working base: cook once as written, then adjust spice, texture, and serving style for your own table.