Sarson ka saag recipe

5 from 5 votes

A recipe for sarson ka saag, a delicious north Indian dish of creamy mustard greens in a garlicky, mildly spiced sauce.

Prep Time5

Cook Time25

Total Time30

Course: Main/Curry

Cuisine: Indian, North Indian, Punjabi

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan, Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 101kcal

½ pound mustard greens (roughly chopped)
¼ pound spinach (roughly chopped)
¼ pound arugula (or watercress or lamb's quarters called bathua in India)
2 heaping teaspoons ginger garlic paste
1-2 jalapeños (or any green chili peppers)
2 tablespoons avocado oil or any neutral oil (or vegan butter)
12 large cloves garlic (chop half the cloves finely and slice the remaining half)
1 large red onion (finely chopped)
2 tablespoon cornmeal (or masa harina)
2 medium tomatoes (finely diced)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon ground coriander
¼ teaspoon turmeric
Salt to taste

In a pot or saute pan place all the greens, the ginger garlic paste and the jalapeno peppers. Add ¼ cup water and bring to a boil.
Cover the pot partially with a lid (leave a crack open) and cook 10 minutes or until the leafies are very tender. Check during cooking to make sure all the water hasn't evaporated--the leafies themselves will express some water. After the leafies have cooled a bit, place them in a blender and blend into a coarse puree.
In the same pan heat a tablespoon of oil. Add the finely chopped garlic, saute until it is lightly golden, then add onions along with ½ teaspoon of salt.
Saute the onions until they begin to brown, then stir in the cornmeal or masa. Cook the flour, stirring constantly, for a couple of minutes.
Stir in the tomatoes followed by ground coriander, ground cumin and turmeric. If you want the dish spicier you can add some cayenne at this stage.
Cook the tomatoes until they are very pulpy, about five minutes.
Stir in the blended puree of leafy greens along with a cup of water.
Bring the sarson ka saag to a boil and continue to simmer for about five minutes, stirring frequently. You can add a little more water if the sauce gets too thick. Add salt and turn off heat.
In a small skillet heat the remaining tablespoon of oil (or vegan butter). Add the sliced garlic and saute until golden brown.
Pour this garlic tadka into the sarson da saag and mix well. Serve hot.

You can make this recipe even quicker if you have a jar of the tomato onion masala sauce. Here's how to alter the recipe: cook and puree the greens as instructed. Heat oil and add the cornmeal to it. After sauteing the cornmeal for a couple of minutes add 2 cups of the tomato onion masala sauce. Bring to a boil, add the blended greens, simmer 10 minutes, and finish with the garlic tadka.
To make this recipe with frozen mustard greens, cook the frozen greens as you would the fresh greens, puree, and proceed.