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Thursday, March 24, 2011

Saag

A Couple of years back my exposure to “Saag” was limited to eating it at restaurants. Sarson ka Saag,  Saag Aloo, Saag Paneer were a family favorite but it never occurred to me to cook them at home. For one thing I didn’t know where I would find “Sarson” in the U.S. and more importantly I had accepted defeat before trying. It seemed to me like an typical North Indian Dish and I wasn’t going to get it, so I thought.

My friend Monika Singhi Celly of Vegetarian Surprises one day enlightened me that Mustard greens were “Sarson” and “Saag” was one of the easiest dishes to cook.

Taking a cue from her recipe, I cooked Saag at home and it still remains a family favorite. I guess I can take it as a compliment!

Ingredients
Mustard Greens – 1 bunch
Chopped Spinach – 1 cup
Broccoli florets - 1 cup
Ginger – a big piece
Green chilies – 4 medium
Finely chopped onion – 1 medium
Water – 2 cups
Cumin seeds – half tsp
Asafetida – a pinch
Salt and pepper
Oil – 1 tsp

Wash all the greens thoroughly. Chop the mustard greens roughly. Combine them with spinach, broccoli, ginger, green chilies and water in a pressure cooker. Turn the heat on and let everything cook together. Turn the heat off after two whistles. Alternatively cook it on the gas stove in a covered pan till the greens are done. Let the greens cool and then puree them in a mixture to form a thick paste. In a pan heat the oil and add cumin seeds. Let them crackle before adding asafetida and onions. Cook the onions for 3 minutes till they turn soft and gently stir in the green paste. Salt and pepper to taste, Saag is ready to eat.

Serving suggestions
·         Best with Makki (maize flour) Roti
·         Plain Roti/Paratha


Tips

·         You can go ahead and make this dish with only mustard greens.
·         Use of Onions is also optional, traditionally only leftover Saag is seasoned with Onions the next day.
·         Add Cooked Potatoes/Paneer to make Saag Aloo/Saag Paneer

  Interesting fact
·         One of the biggest health benefits of Mustard Greens is cancer prevention.
·         Mustard Greens are a good source of Vitamin K

7 comments:

  1. wow...sounds awesome..lovely presentation dear.
    Tasty Appetite

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  2. Delicious!!! and i have started my event Treat to eyes series 2, do participate :)

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  3. did u try making makke ki roti with this?!
    I tried it once... bit difficult to amke but tastes awesome!

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  4. Wow...yummy recipe...and nice blog....First time here...Following your space....

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  5. this is my all time favorite dish...i can have it for days !!!!
    mujhe itna sar pe kyon chada diya???

    http://vegetariansurprises.blogspot.com/

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  6. wow... I had never tried mustard greens earlier... now I have a good recipe to check it out :)

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