Mustard greens (Sarson ka saag) happen to thrive in the winter season and it is one of the healthiest winter vegetables. Thanks to this winter season’s delicacy containing high levels of vitamin K and C, these nutrients, which are associated with low cholesterol, take care of skin, hair and boosted immunity. Besides these vitamins, these leafy greens are packed with fibre, minerals and protective phytonutrients. Since this star winter veggie is low in calories, its nutrition to calorie ratio makes it one of the most nutrient-rich curry vegetables on earth. The nutrition profile of this light-weighted champion protects us from notorious heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. The fibre content helps manage cholesterol levels and maintain digestive health. Sarson ka saag is eaten with Makki ki roti. Makki ki roti is a very popular bread in Punjab. It is gluten-free and very tasty to eat.

Sarson ka saag and Makki ki roti is a classic Punjabi dish but it is quite popular across India and the world too. Here is a delicious recipe to prepare Sarson ka saag and Makki ki roti at home. This recipe will leave you craving for more of this dish.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 60 minutes

Cooking time: 90 minutes

Ingredients:

For saag –

Sarson ka saag (mustard leaves): 1 kg

Spinach: 250 grams

Bathua: 100 gram

Methi leaves: 100 grams

Carrot: 1 (big)

Bottle gourd: 100 grams

Onion: 2 (medium)

Garlic: 10 flakes

Ginger: 1.5”piece

Green chillies: 3

Tomato: 6 (large)

Salt to taste

Red chilli powder: 1.5 tsp

Coriander powder: 3 tsp

Tamarind powder: 2 tsp

Garam masala: 1 tsp

Jaggery: 2” piece

Pure ghee: 2 tbsp

White unsalted butter: 4 tbsp

Cornmeal flour: 1 tbsp

Water as required

Method:

Clean Sarson ka saag, bathua, spinach, and fenugreek leaves. Cut them coarsely discarding the bottom part of the stems. Wash them thoroughly. Boil little water in a big open pan to boil all the leafy greens. Boil them uncovered. Take enough water while boiling that can be drained and discarded after boiling the leafy greens. When leafy greens become tender, turn off the flame and discard the extra water with the help of a strainer. Boil bottle gourd piece and carrot in a pressure cooker. Keep aside. Combine together the boiled leafy greens, carrot and bottle gourd by processing them in a food processor. Make a smooth paste. Heat ghee in a big pan. Add ginger-garlic-green chilli paste and stir well for two minutes on low flame. Add onion paste and stir the masala occasionally until it becomes a little brown in colour. Add tomato paste and give a good stir. Cook the tomato gravy along with other ingredients on medium flame until tomato puree starts leaving the oil on sides. Mix well cornmeal flour with half a cup of water. Add jaggery, coriander powder, red chilli powder and cornmeal paste to the gravy and mix well. Add the vegetable paste and salt and give a good stir. Let the saag cook covered on medium-low flame for 60 minutes. Stir occasionally. Turn off the flame. Add garam masala, tamarind powder, and white butter. Mix well. Serve hot with garma-garam Makki ki roti.

For Makki ki roti –

Ingredients:

Cornmeal flour: 3 cups

Wheat flour: 1 cup

Radish: 1 small (grated)

Methi leaves: ½ cup (finely chopped)

Ajwain: 1 tsp

Green chilli paste: 1 tsp

Salt to taste

Oil: 1 tbsp

Lukewarm water as required

White unsalted butter: ½ cup

Method

Mix both the flours, salt, ajwain, oil, green chilli paste, grated radish, and finely chopped methi leaves altogether with your hands in a big mixing bowl. Add lukewarm water slowly and gradually to make a stiff and smooth dough. Keep the dough a little tight as the addition of salt to the vegetables will make them leave some water after a few minutes of mixing. Keep it covered. After an hour knead the dough properly for a few minutes. Make roti-size balls out of this dough. Knead every ball for 20 seconds before rolling it. Roll the balls just like normal roti dusting little wheat flour on the rolling board. Roll the roti a little thicker than the wheat roti. It will give them the proper Makki taste and the desired softness. Heat a non-stick pan on high flame. Turn the flame medium or medium-low. Cook the rotis one by one from both sides until you see golden blisters on their outer surface. When the roti is properly cooked inside-out, remove it from the tawa and spread white butter generously on the top surface. Serve hot.

Tips to make delicious Sarson ka saag:

Buy fresh mustard leaves, fenugreek leaves, spinach and bathua that are dry.

Clean all the green leafy vegetables properly and wash them thoroughly before boiling them. Boil them in a big open pan as open cooking allows the volatile acids in these green vegies to escape and helps retain their beautiful and natural green colour.

Add jaggery while cooking sarson ka saag with boiled carrots, bottle gourd and tempering. It will reduce the bitterness and give the saag a mild sweet flavour.

Adding little cornmeal mixed with little water gives the saag a nutty flavour.

Adding ginger-garlic paste gives the saag the classic Punjabi taste.

Do not forget to add homemade white unsalted butter generously while serving the saag to give it an authentic-rich taste. Always serve it boiling hot.

Tips to make soft Makki ki roti:

Take fresh cornmeal flour. Add wheat flour in one-third quantity of the cornmeal flour and mix well. Wheat flour will help develop the gluten and thus the rolling will become easier.

Add little ajwain, salt, finely chopped fenugreek leaves and grated radish to make Makki ki roti extra delicious.

Add little oil while kneading the dough. It will give Makki ki roti a little moist texture.

Knead the dough with lukewarm water and knead it properly for few minutes until soft and smooth to make crack-free roti. Give the dough a rest for one hour.

Knead each ball for 20 seconds before rolling it.

Roll the roti a little thicker and evenly from all sides. Cook them on medium flame on a pre-heated non-stick pan. It will ensure proper and even cooking even from deep inside the roti.

The insights on the health benefits and delicious taste of mustard greens have made Sarson ka saag the star among the winter leafy greens. Eating it with ‘Makki ki roti’ is just mind-blowing. And everyone wants to eat this dish right away!