Recipe- Punjabi Style Sarson Ka Saag

Sarson ka Saag is a very popular Punjabi vegetarian dish made with Mustard greens. some other leafy veggies are also added like spinach,bathua etc. some people add turnip also. It tastes awesome with Makki ki roti ( maize flour or cornmealflatbread ) and Bajra ki roti ( pearl millet flatbread). Sarson has a slightly bitter taste. Boiling it with spinach leaves makes it more palatable.

Ingredients

500 grams Sarson leaves ( mustard green leaves)
200 grams of spinach leaves ( My mom uses 3 parts sarson and 1 part spinach)
1 tbsp Makki ka atta ( maize flour/ cornmeal)
salt to taste
water

For Tempering

1 tbsp ghee ( to make this recipe Vegan use oil in place of ghee)
1/4 tspheeng/ asafoetida
2 green chilies chopped
1 tsp ginger grated
1/2 tspred chili powder

Method

- It is essential to clean the leaves thoroughly first. You can dip them in a deep vessel in water for a minute. Impurities and dust will settle down. Take out the leaves and replace the water. Repeat this step 3-4 times to get rid of all the dirt and impurities.

- Chop the leaves roughly. As we are going to blend these later there is no need to chop them finely. Boil them in enough water for 5- 7 minutes or pressure cook them for 2 whistles on high. switch off the flame and let it cool down completely.

- Blend the boiled leaves to a coarse paste. Put it back in the pan/ cooker you have boiled in to cook again. Add salt to taste.

- Mix MakkiAtta (maize flour) with a cup of water and add to the saag. cook it on medium flame stirring regularly. keep the pan covered when you are not stirring as it splutters while cooking.

- We are going to cook it again for 25- 30 minutes. Sarson ka Saag is ready. Now, Switch off the flame and prepare the Tadka just before serving.

- For Tadka, heat ghee in a pan. add asafoetida, ginger and green chilies and cook for a minute. add red chili powder and immediately switch off the flame. Add the tadka to the cooked saag.