Sarson ka saag, also known as kotwaan saag is a pure vegetarian dish and is made in Punjabi homes with much love and effort and then shared amongst family and friends.
Making it from scratch is a long process, hence, I never made it! Luckily a friend from Leeds UK, has just taught me a short-cut with equally good results and expert tasters have given it a thumbs up!
Ingredients
- 4 tbs oil
- 4 ozs (100g) finely chopped or grated onions
- 1 tbs fresh ground garlic
- 1 tbs fresh ground ginger
- 2 small green chillies sliced
- 14 oz (400g) tinned spinach puree
- 14 oz (400g) tinned sarson ka saag (mustard greens)
- half tsp salt (optional)
- 3 tsps maize/cornmeal flour mixed with 1 cup water
For tarka/tempering
- 2 tbs butter/ghee
- 2 tbs fresh ginger finely sliced
Method
- Put the oil into a saucepan, add the onions, cook together stirring from time to time until onions are light brown in colour.
- Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies, stir and cook together for a couple of minutes.
- Add the tinned spinach and tinned mustard greens (sarson ka saag).
- Mix together, taste and add salt if required (the tinned food will already have salt).
- Add a cup of water, cook covered and on low heat until water reduces or for 15mins, stir from time to time.
- Add the maize flour slurry and once again, cook covered on low heat for another 15 – 20 mins, or until liquids have dried up, stir from time to time. Switch off and remove into a dish.
- For tempering – add the butter or ghee into a frying pan, heat to medium and add the ginger slices, wait for the slices to turn golden brown and then drop the mixture onto the kotwan saag in the serving dish.
- Traditionally the dish is served with cornmeal/maize flour chapatis (maki di roti), which are available in Asian grocery stores in the UK and in North America cornmeal tortillas work well.
- Can also be eaten with chapatis, naans or bread.
