Real sarson ka saag is a weekend job: a mountain of mustard greens, spinach and bathua, washed, chopped and cooked down for hours. The ready made saag gets you to the same place on a weeknight. What you add at the end is what makes it taste like home.
Ingredients
- 1 tin KTC sarson ka saag (800g)
- 3 tbsp Amul pure ghee, plus more to serve
- 1 large onion, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced, and a thumb of ginger, cut into matchsticks
- 2 green chillies, chopped
- 1 tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 2 tbsp maize flour (makki ka atta)
- For the roti: 300g maize flour, warm water, a pinch of salt
- White butter or salted butter and jaggery to serve
Method
- Tip the saag into a pan and warm it gently over a low flame with a splash of water. Stir the maize flour into a little cold water, add it to the saag and cook for 10 minutes so it thickens and loses any tinny edge.
- Make the tarka. Heat the ghee in a small pan, add the onion and cook until deep golden, then the garlic, ginger and green chilli for another minute.
- Take the tarka off the heat, stir in the chilli powder, and pour the whole lot over the saag. Simmer together for five minutes.
- For the roti, mix the maize flour with salt and enough warm water to make a soft dough. Pat each ball flat between your palms or between two sheets of cling film, as maize dough will not roll.
- Cook the rotis on a hot tawa, a minute or two each side, pressing the edges with a cloth so they puff. Brush with ghee.
- Serve the saag in a bowl with a spoon of ghee melting on top, the rotis, a slab of butter and a piece of jaggery on the side.
Cook's notes
If the saag tastes flat, it needs salt and a squeeze of lemon, not more chilli. Any left over is very good stirred through hot rice with a fried egg on top.
Saag keeps for three days in a covered container in the fridge, and many people think it tastes better the next day. Reheat it gently in a pan with a splash of water and finish with a fresh spoon of ghee, as the first lot sinks in overnight.
For a richer pot, make a second tarka with a little extra garlic and pour it over the saag at the table. If you have no maize flour for the rotis, serve the saag with paratha or plain wheat chapatis. Cubes of paneer, browned in a little ghee and folded in for the last five minutes, turn it into a more filling main dish.
Questions
Why does my makki di roti break when I roll it?
Maize flour has no gluten, so the dough will not stretch or hold together under a rolling pin. Pat each ball flat between your palms or between two sheets of cling film. Warm water helps the dough bind, and kneading it well for a few minutes makes it less crumbly.
Why add maize flour to the saag?
It thickens the saag and gives it the smooth, slightly grainy body you expect. Stir 2 tbsp into a little cold water first so it does not form lumps, then cook it in the saag for 10 minutes so the raw taste of the flour cooks out.
Can you freeze sarson ka saag?
Yes. Freeze the finished saag in portions for up to three months, and add a fresh spoon of ghee when you reheat it. Makki di roti is best eaten fresh off the tawa, so make the rotis on the day and keep the dough covered until you cook them.
What do you serve with sarson ka saag?
Makki di roti is the classic partner, with white butter, a piece of jaggery and a spoon of ghee on the saag. Sliced raw onion, green chillies and a glass of lassi complete the meal. Wheat rotis or plain rice also work if you have no maize flour.
