Haak Ka Saag North Indian Style Collard Greens And Spinach Recipes

AUTHENTIC KASHMIRI HAAK SAAG RECIPE | HOW TO COOK COLLARD GREENS

Steps:

• wash haak saag very well, as elaborated in the beginning of this post.
• Separate the green leaves from the stems. Don't chop the leaves as they are traditionally cooked leaving them big.
• Take mustard oil in a wide pan/kadai and let oil smoke first.
• The oil must have become extremely hot. Off the heat so that the temperature of oil comes down a bit. Otherwise what you are going to add next will burn immediately.
• Add asafoetida and green chillies.
• Now add haak saag, salt and water.
• Let saag cook on moderate heat. Do note that don't cover the pan/kadai with a lid.
• Keep stirring at intervals. As there's much water in pan, so you really don't need to stir it quite often.
• After 30-35 minutes, when the haak saag turns soft and tender enough to eat, off the heat.
• Haak saag is ready.
• Serve hot.

HAAK KA SAAG - NORTH INDIAN STYLE COLLARD GREENS AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Wash the greens in a water bath thrice before straining to drain excess water. After washing chop the greens - remove the central stem from collard leaves to reduce the bitterness; but if you have a palette for it then keep them. If using baby spinach, use them whole. Clean methi and separate leaves from the stems. Smash garlic cloves and peel them, roughly dice half an onion, finely chop ginger and reserve for later and slit open green chillies (if using) and de-seed them removing the inner white pith. Put the leaves, garlic and onion in a pressure cooker and season with salt, red chilli powder and turmeric. Add half a cup of water and close the lid. Steam on high for the first 10 minutes. Lower the heat to low and let them cook for another 15 minutes. Let the steam escape naturally before opening the lid. Leaves should be dark green and wilted, garlic soft and onions completely dissolved. Next, add 1 tbsp of flour and mix well. Start stirring/churning the mix to create a thick mash, this takes about 10 minutes. Finally, prepare the tadka by heating ghee/butter in a pan. Add seeds - cumin and rai - and cook until spluttering followed by ginger. Once fragrant add coriander powder and a pinch of red chilli powder. Pour tadka over the saag and mix in. Transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with butter or ghee and serve with fresh rotis, yogurt, achar and salad.

SARSON KA SAAG (INDIAN MUSTARD GREENS)

Steps:

• Place the chiles into a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the chiles turn dark red-brown in color and give off their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and remove stems of chiles; shake out the seeds, and tear the flesh of the roasted chiles into pieces. Set aside.
• Place the spinach into a saucepan over medium heat; place mustard greens into a separate saucepan. If leaves are dry, mix in 1 or 2 of tablespoons of water. If leaves are still wet, just cover the pans and simmer the greens until tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Place greens together into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to break up the greens, then process to a paste, about 1 minute.
• Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the cumin seeds, stirring for about 30 seconds or until the seeds sizzle and turn a darker brown color. Mix in the onion, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, and mix in the roasted peppers, ginger paste, garlic paste, and tomato. Mix in the pureed greens, bring to a simmer, and stir in salt and sugar to taste. If dish is too thick, mix in up to about 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the greens are the desired thickness.