Indian Style Stewed Greens Sarson Ka Saag Recipes

INDIAN-STYLE STEWED GREENS (SARSON KA SAAG)

Steps:

• Prepare greens by separating the stems and leaves. Discard the larger stems. Roughly chop the remaining stems and leaves. Place chopped greens in a large bowl and fill with cold water. Swish greens with your hand. The dirt will sink to the bottom.
• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-heat. Add ginger and green chilis. Sauté 1-2 minutes until you see golden brown bits. Scoop out the prepared greens from the water, and add them to the saucepan along with 1 cup water and the salt. Turn heat to medium-low, cover, and steam for 30 minutes. The greens will become very soft.
• Meanwhile, in a separate small skillet on medium-low, heat ghee and add onion. Sauté until lightly browned (about 10-15 minutes). At the beginning, nothing much will happen, but as soon as the moisture evaporates it will brown quickly, and even burn. So be careful. You want it evenly and lightly browned. Turn off the heat and set aside until needed.
• After 30 minutes of simmering the greens, turn off the heat. Use an immersion blender to blend the greens right in the saucepan, or blend separately in a blender after cooling slightly. (If you use the blender method, be very careful and ensure that the steam has a way to escape so the lid doesn't blow off.) After blending, turn the heat back on low.
• Add prepared onion saute to greens, along with garam masala and fresh lime juice. Simmer until the oil rises to the surface (about 3-5 minutes). Taste, and adjust for salt. If you find it too bitter, add a teaspoon of raw sugar.

SARSON KA SAAG RECIPE - CLASSIC NORTH INDIAN SAAG RECIPE

Steps:

• To begin making the Sarson Ka Saag Recipe, we will first steam the leaves together along with a little salt until soft and yet green. For this, you can use a steamer or a pressure cooker.
• Place all the leaves in the pressure cooker, add a little salt and 3 tablespoons of water. Cover the pressure cooker and cook until you hear one whistle. After the first whistle turn off the heat.
• Place the cooker under running water and release the pressure immediately and add the Makki ka atta. This process of releasing the pressure immediately will help keep the greens green.
• Allow it to cool. You can either puree the saag or use a masher and mish mash the greens to make it soft and mushy. The way you like to present it is purely your choice.
• Heat a teaspoon of ghee in a heavy bottomed pan; add the ginger, garlic, onions and green chillies. Saute all the ingredients together on low heat until the onions are completely tender and soft and lightly browned.
• You can optionally cover the pan partly to create steam to cook the onions. This process of cooking consumes less oil.
• Once the onions are well softened, stir in the steamed sarson ka saag, red chilli powder, garam masala powder and coriander powder.
• Turn the heat to high and give the mixture a quick boil for a couple of minutes, so that the greens get the flavours from the spices and onions. Turn off the heat, check the salt and adjust to taste accordingly.
• Transfer the Sarson Ka Saag to a serving bowl and serve hot.
• Serve the Sarson Ka Saag along with Makki Ki Roti with a dollop of white butter and jaggery and end it with a Masala Chaas.

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.