Sarson Da Saag
The defining Punjabi winter dish - mustard, spinach, bathua and dill greens slow-cooked with green chilli, ginger and a generous tarka of butter, garlic, onion and tomato. Eaten with hot makki di roti and a dollop of white butter (safed makhan). The dish that says "Punjab in winter".
Ingredients
- Maize Flour (Makki Atta - Yellow Coarse) — 30 g (thickener)
- tomato ripe — 100 g
- Ghee — 20 g
- Bathua (optional) — 100 g
- Butter — 60 g
- Ginger — 25 g (pasted)
- green chillies — 15 g
- Spinach (Palak) — 200 g
- mustard greens — 500 g
- salt — 8 g
- Dill Leaves (optional) — 30 g
- Asafoetida — 1 g
- Garlic — 20 g (crushed)
- Cumin Seeds — 4 g
- Jaggery (optional) — 10 g
- onion — 100 g (finely-chopped)
Method
- Wash 500 g sarson + 200 g palak + 100 g bathua + 30 g dill thoroughly. Remove tough stems.
- Pressure-cook the greens with 200 ml water, slit green chillies, half the ginger and salt for 4 whistles.
- Cool slightly. Mash with a wooden mathani (churner) - traditional way - or pulse 4-5 times in a blender. Should retain texture, NOT be fully smooth.
- Mix 30 g makki atta with 100 ml water; whisk smooth. Add to the mashed saag. Simmer on low 30 minutes - this is the signature long-cook step that develops the flavour.
- In a separate pan heat 60 g butter + 20 g ghee. Splutter cumin seeds. Add chopped onion; fry till deep golden brown.
- Add crushed garlic, remaining ginger paste; sauté 1 min. Add chopped tomato; cook till mushy.
- Pour the tarka into the saag. Stir in 10 g jaggery (optional - cuts bitterness). Simmer 5 more minutes.
- Switch off. Top with a knob of white butter. Serve hot with makki di roti and a glass of cold lassi.
Common questions
- How many calories in one plate of Sarson Da Saag?
- 283 kcal per plate.
- How much cooking time?
- 80 min — 20 min prep, 60 min cooking.