Mustard-Greens and Spinach Saag
Lalkila Kitchen · Plant based · Vegetarian · Vegetables · Side dishes · Punjabi cooking
This smaller editorial adaptation of sarson ka saag combines mustard greens with spinach and radish greens. Fine cornmeal thickens the cooked purée. The greens should be tender before blending, and the final simmer should cook out the graininess of the maize.
Ingredients
- 1/2 bunch mustard greens, washed and chopped
- 1/2 bunch spinach, washed and chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped radish leaves and 1 1/2–2 inches white radish root, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped onion, plus 1/3 cup for tempering
- 3/4 cup chopped tomato
- 1 inch ginger, 1 green chilli and 4 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1/4 tsp red chilli powder and a pinch of asafoetida
- 1–1 1/2 cups water, plus more as needed
- 1 tbsp fine cornmeal (maize flour, not corn starch)
- 2 tbsp neutral oil
- Salt to taste
Method
- Simmer greens, radish, half-cup onion, tomato, ginger, chilli, garlic, spices, salt and water in a covered pan until tender. Check water during cooking.
- Cool until safe for blending. Blend with cornmeal to a purée.
- Return to the pan and simmer gently, stirring frequently, until thick and cornmeal is cooked, about 25–30 minutes. Add water if catching.
- Soften remaining onion in oil in another pan. Stir the cooked saag into this tempering and heat through.
Cooking notes
Bunches vary in size, so the pan and tenderness checks matter more than a claimed yield. Fine cornmeal is the ground maize used as a thickener here; the product sold as cornflour starch in some countries behaves differently. Cool the greens before using a closed blender and keep the final pan over gentle heat.
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Source and adaptation
Adapted from Dassana Amit’s Sarson ka Saag, Dassana’s Veg Recipes. Original recipe.
Halved the source base, replaced bathua with spinach as the source permits, and omitted optional fenugreek. Selected 1/3 cup onion and 2 tbsp oil to temper the entire smaller batch as an editorial choice; the original tempering is for only part of its base. No tested yield claimed.
This is an editorial adaptation, not kitchen-tested by Lalkila. FoodSafety.gov cooking temperatures and safe food handling provide the safety references. The featured image is a generated illustration of this recipe.