Sarson ka Saag made easy by using frozen mustard,spinach,broccoli and turnip greens. Traditional taste without the hassle of rinsing and chopping fresh mustard and greens which can take a long time. Sarson ka saag is a traditional recipe from the state of Punjab in India and made during the winter months when mustard and corn are freshly harvested.
This recipe has been shared by my friend Pompy. This is how she and her sister in law, who we lovingly call ‘bhabiji’, have made it for years, since moving to the US. We always requested them to make their famous sarson the saag for all parties and get togethers, after all who can better sarson ka saag than the sikhs! I made sarson ka saag a few times when mom visited me in the US, and I can honestly say, this recipe was a breeze compared to the amount of time we spend chopping and rinsing the greens multiple times to remove the grit. Frozen saag/greens also get cooked a little faster than the fresh ones, a bonus in my opinion!
Sarson ka saag with frozen mustard is not a compromise in taste,color or texture. For those who worry about using frozen greens versus fresh, this article by Greatist talks about the nutritional value of both fresh and frozen and how sometimes frozen is better! This makes a large quantity and can be divided into 2-3 portions and frozen. According to Pompey, since its just two of them, she divides the sarson ka saag into three containers and freezes two. For using later, she just thaws the saag in fridge, heats it up and puts fresh tempering and it tastes like it was made fresh just then. Sarson ka saag is traditionally eaten with Makai ki roti or flatbread made from corn meal. Since corn meal is gluten free and hard to roll, I have shared tips to roll Makai ki roti . Also tastes pretty good with just whole wheat roti/chapati.
I like my saag a little sweet, topped with some butter and gur/jaggery. It tastes heavenly! If gur/jaggery is not available, try some sugar. Of course, if you are like my husband, you would like it as is, he doesn’t like any kind of sweetness in his food. For some other authentic North Indian recipes do try out my famous Dal Makhni-Institute of Hotel management Kolkata Recipe, Restaurant Style Dal Fry and Gobhi Matar. For some recipes that use spinach/greens check out Palak Aloo, Palak ki Puri, Blackeyed pea and spinach cakes.
Here is the written recipe followed by the step by step pictorial one-
Sarson ka Saag with Frozen Mustard
Ingredients
- 4 bags of Frozen chopped Mustard-16 oz/454 gms/1 lb, each
- 2 bags of Frozen chopped spinach-10 oz/282 gms, each
- 2 bags of Frozen Broccoli Florets-10 oz/282 gms, each
- 1 bag chopped Turnip Greens with diced turnips-16 oz/454 gms/1 lb
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 5-6 Green chilies
- salt as per taste
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 cup Corn/Maize Flour/ Makai ka atta/ Cornmeal
For Tarka
- 1/2 cup ghee/1 stick Butter salted or unsalted,use oil for vegan option
- 1 large onion chopped
- 5 tbsp chopped ginger
- 3 tbsp minced garlic
- 5-6 green chilies chopped
For tempering
- 1-2 tbsp ghee/oil
- 1 inch/1 tbsp ginger julienned/cut into thin long strips
- 1-2 green chilies chopped
Instructions
-
Put frozen mustard,spinach,broccoli,turnip greens,garlic,green chilies,salt and water to cook in a pressure cooker. Give two whistles on high, reduce temperature to low and cook for about 30-40 minutes. Let pressure release naturally. If pressure cooker is not available place everything in a pot, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour covered. Cool completely
-
When the mustard and greens/saag have cooled completely, grind coarsely in a blender or food processor and place in a pan as we are going to cook it some more
-
To the COLD greens/saag add 1/2 cup corn meal/maize flour/makai ka atta and mix well
For Tarka
-
In ghee/butter/oil(for vegan option) add chopped onions and stir till onions turn pink
-
Add minced ginger,garlic and green chilies and stir till it browns
-
Pour over greens/saag and cook over MEDIUM,stirring continuously for 30-45 minutes,till it reaches a cohesive consistency.
for tempering
-
In hot ghee/oil add ginger and green chilies and pour over greens/saag
Notes
Its important to add the cornmeal/makai ka atta/maize flour to COLD greens/saag and mix well before putting back on stovetop,otherwise it will get lumpy.
Cook the greens/saag on MEDIUM, it will splatter.The time that you cook can vary from 30 minutes to an hour, depending on how thick you like the saag to be and how much water is in the frozen mustard and other greens.
Here is the step by step pictorial recipe-
Ingredients for Sarson ka saag
Ingredients for tarka
Cook all the greens/saag for about an hour and cool completely
Grind coarsely
Add makai ka atta,/corn meal/maize flour to COLD saag/greens and set aside till tarka is ready
In hot ghee/butter/oil add chopped onions and cook till pink
Add ginger,garlic and green chilies
Cook till golden brown
Mix tarka to saag/greens and cook over medium for 45 minutes,approx
Enjoy with Makai ki Roti,butter and gur/jaggery
Please like my Facebook page to continue to get healthy,easy and tasty recipes from me
If You try my recipes, please share your feedback on my blog or my facebook page with a comment or picture. Would love to hear back from you.
Follow me on Instagram and Pinterest
Sangeeta sethi
This is amazing recipe of sarson ka saag .m also going to get the frozen mustard greens as we dont get here in Bonn .so this recipe is a Boon to me…
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Sangeeta di, this really is a boon for all of us living outside India, where fresh mustard is hard to come by and we have such busy lives, that it such a time saver to not have to chop and rinse the the fresh greens. Please share your feedback and let me know how it turns out.
sheeri
Do you get all these frozen green in Indian store?
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Sheeri, I buy the frozen Greens from Publix and Winn Dixie. In the frozen vegetable aisle, next to frozen broccoli, spinach etc
Visakha sakhya
I am living in hyderabad, plz post recipe with fresh leaves.recipe is looking really yummy. I want to try this. Looking forward for your recipe
Aanchal Gupta
Hi Visakha, mustard is called sarson in hindi and punjabi. I have used all frozen greens as they are easily available in the US, compared to fresh greens and much easier to cook. You can use 1 kg sarson, 250 gms spinach, 250 gms broccoli and 250 gms turnip greens(shalgam). Hope this helps, look forward to your feedback.