Come winter and you would find my grandmother perched on a stool in her verandah stirring a pot of Saag (curry made with winter greens). She had a huge wooden masher with which she constantly mashed the curry. There were no fancy food processors available that time.
She added tempering, spices and copious amounts of homemade white butter to roughly chopped winter greens and left them in a huge pot on the angeethi (coal fired oven) for a few hours to gently simmer. This was a labour of love. She tended to it for hours until the Saag was a creamy buttery delicacy.
She served this with Corn bread/ Makki Roti which she kneaded with radish greens and spices, cooked on a skillet and topped with more white butter!!
Only the memories of her food remain now. And there are certain ingredients that evoke those memories and transport me to her verandah everytime. Like a bunch of fresh mustard greens, which brings me so much joy and nostalgia.
If you make my version of Saag do tag me on Instagram @supaintsonplates #supaintsonplates. I would love to hear from you.
SARSON SAAG
Ingredients
- 2 Cups Spinach chopped
- 2 Cups Mustard Greens/ Sarson Saag roughly chopped
- 1 Onion chopped
- 1 tbsp Ginger chopped
- 8-10 Garlic cloves chopped
- Green Chillies to taste
- 1 Cup Water
- 2 tbsp Mustard Oil
- 1/4 tsp Asafotida
- 1 tsp Coriander Powder
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1/4 tsp Garam Masala
- Salt to taste
- 1 tbsp Makki Atta/ Yellow Corn Flour
Instructions
- To a heavy bottom skillet add 1 tbsp Mustard Oil
- Once the oil is hot add the Onions and sautee until light brown.
- Add chopped Ginger and Garlic and sautee until light brown.
- Add Green Chillies and Coriander powder and sautee for a minute.
- Add Makki Atta and sautee until the flour roasts to light brown colour and gets fragrant.
- Add the Spinach and Mustard leaves and 1 Cup Water and simmer for 20-25 minutes or until soft. If you'd like the Saag to retain its color, boil it for a lesser duration.
- Once cooked blend the Saag to a slightly coarse consistency with the help of a hand blender or regular blender.
- Add 1 tbsp Mustard Oil to a skillet, add Asafotida/Hing and cumin seeds and sautee until the seeds crackle.
- Add this tempering along with some Garam Masala and Salt to the Saag and stir well. Save some tempering to garnish on top if you'd like.
- Once the Saag is hot, transfer to a serving bowl and enjoy with some Makki Roti/ Corn Flatbread.
