Sarson ka Saag
سرسوں کا ساگ
Sarson ka saag is the great winter dish of Punjab, made when mustard fields are green and the leaves are at their most tender. This is the Punjabi village style: mustard greens cooked down with spinach and bathua for a long time, mashed with a wooden masher (), thickened with a little maize flour and finished with a garlicky ghee . Spinach and bathua soften the sharp bite of the mustard, and patience does the rest.
- ⏱ Total: 2 hr 45 min
- Prep: 30 min
- Cook: 2 hr 15 min
- Medium
- Serves 6
Method
Tap a step when it is done.
Pull the leaves of the mustard off any thick, woody stalks. Peel the tender stems with a knife and keep them; they add body. Wash the mustard, spinach and bathua in several changes of water until no grit settles, then chop everything roughly.
Put the greens in a large with the water, ginger, garlic, green chilies and salt. Bring to a boil over high heat, pressing the leaves down as they wilt.
Cover, lower the heat and simmer for about 1½ hours, stirring every 15 minutes and adding a splash of hot water if the pot looks dry. The saag is ready for mashing when the mustard stems crush easily between your fingers.
Take the pot off the heat and mash the greens with a wooden masher, style, or pulse briefly with a hand blender. Aim for a coarse, thick puree with a little texture, not a smooth paste.
Return the pot to low heat. Sprinkle in the maize flour one spoon at a time, stirring hard so no lumps form. Cook for 25–30 minutes, stirring often and keeping the lid half on because it splutters, until the saag is thick and the raw taste of the flour is gone.
Make the tarka: heat the ghee in a small pan over medium heat and fry the onion for 6–7 minutes until golden. Add the chopped garlic and dried chilies and fry for another minute until the garlic is light golden.
Pour the hot tarka over the saag and stir half of it in, leaving the rest on top. Cook on low heat for 2 more minutes, then taste for salt.
Serve the saag hot with a generous spoon of white butter melting on top, with makki ki roti, sliced onion and a glass of lassi.
Kitchen notes
Don't rush the boiling. Undercooked mustard stays bitter and stringy no matter how well you mash it.
If your mustard is very sharp or mature, increase the spinach to equal weight. Young leaves need less.
Saag tastes better the next day. Many families make a big pot, keep it without the tarka, and add a fresh tarka each time they heat a portion.
The winter meal of Punjab
In Punjab, the arrival of sarson ka saag means winter has properly begun. It is cooked in large pots, often over a wood fire, and eaten at lunch with makki ki roti, a lump of white butter, raw onion, green chilies and a tall glass of lassi. Families make enough for several days, and leftover saag is reheated with a fresh tarka or even eaten cold with roti.
Slow cooking and mashing
Mustard leaves are pungent and fibrous when raw. A long, gentle simmer breaks down the stems and mellows the sharpness, and spinach and bathua add sweetness and a smoother body. Mashing with a wooden crushes the fibres without turning everything to paste, which gives proper saag its slightly rough, spoonable texture. The maize flour is added last, only a few spoons, to bind the greens so the water doesn’t separate on the plate.
Variations
- Without bathua: use 1 kg mustard and 750 g spinach. The taste is a little sharper but still excellent.
- Turnip: some homes add a peeled, chopped turnip with the greens for extra sweetness.
- Saag gosht: cook mutton separately until tender and fold it into the finished saag.
Storing and serving
Keep saag in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months. Reheat it slowly in a heavy pan with a splash of water, stirring so it doesn’t catch, then add a fresh tarka of ghee and garlic. Always serve it with butter on top; the saag is meant to be rich.
Questions people ask
Why is my saag bitter?
Usually the mustard was mature or not cooked long enough. Add more spinach, cook longer, and finish with plenty of ghee and butter; a small pinch of sugar or jaggery also helps.
Can I make it in a pressure cooker?
Yes. Cook the greens with the water and aromatics for about 20 minutes after full pressure, let it release naturally, then mash and continue with the maize flour as normal.
Can I freeze sarson ka saag?
Yes, it freezes very well for up to 3 months. Freeze it after adding the maize flour but before the tarka, in meal-sized portions.
Nutrition (estimate, per serving)
- Calories
- 215
- Protein
- 6 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Carbs
- 14 g
