Sarson Ka Saag
Sarson ka saag is a classic winter staple from North India. It’s made with a mixture of fresh greens (especially mustard greens) and tempered with onion, and garlic in ghee. This saag is topped with white butter and served with makki ki roti and sides (jaggery, sliced onions, pickle).
What Is Sarson Ka Saag?
Sarson = Mustard leaves
Saag = A generic term for leafy greens.
As the name says sarson ka saag, this dish is made from mustard greens. But mustard leaves are so pungent and bitter in taste. So to mallow down its flavor other greens are added like bathua, spinach (palak), hare chane ka saag, mooli leaves, fenugreek leaves, etc.
Every family in North India has their version of making sarson ka saag as the recipe varies in proportion or types of greens used here. Also, some add mooli (white radish) or shalgam (turnip).
- Taste: It has mild flavors (as no spice powders are added) and the flavor of greens shines here. It is slightly pungent yet creamy and delicious.
- Texture: Coarse gravy texture (though you can puree into smooth) with a slight creaminess.
- Color of the sarson ka saag: It has a dark green color (not vibrant green like palak paneer) and it may look unappetizing but trust me it is full of flavors and delicious.
Cultural Significance: Sarson ka saag is more than just a dish—it’s a celebration of the winter harvest in Punjab and a staple during festive occasions like Lohri and Makar Sankranti. Its robust flavors and nutritious ingredients make it a beloved comfort food in Indian households.
How Sarson Ka Saag Is Made Traditionally?
Cooking Sarson Ka Saag the traditional way is a labor of love, requiring patience and care. It is prepared using a simple yet time-intensive process that brings out its authentic, rustic flavors.
- Traditionally, it is made in a clay pot (mitti ki handi) not pressure cooker.
- The greens are slow-cooked with minimal water until they become tender and start releasing their juices. This process enhances their earthy flavor.
- Once cooked, the greens are blended into a coarse or smooth puree using a traditional madani (wooden whisk).
- Rest process is same as modern method.
My Recipe For Sarson Ka Saag
- Quick: Instead of slow cooking the greens for hours, we’re using a pressure cooker or Instant Pot, which significantly reduces the cooking time while retaining the authentic taste.
- Easy Blending: Forget the elbow grease! Instead of using a traditional madani (hand whisk) to mash the saag, a hand blender does the job effortlessly, giving you the perfect texture in minutes.
- Scalable: You can double, or triple the amount and make a large batch.
- Freezer-friendly: After making a large batch, freeze them in portions (based on your serving sizes) and you’ll have a meal ready for later days.
Ingredient Notes
The below ingredients are cooked in the pressure cooker (instant pot) for making saag recipe.
The Ratio of Greens For Sarson Ka Saag:
Below is the pic of the ingredients you’ll need to add to cooked saag and for tempering.
Step By Step Photos (With Tips)
Preparing Greens:
- Cleaning Mustard leaves: Remove and discard the tough stems and keep the leaves in a large bowl of water for around 5-10 minutes and let the dirt, and sand settle at the bottom of the bowl. Then gently without disturbing the water too much remove the leaves, lightly squeeze out the water and chop them roughly. (No need for fine chopping as we are pressure cooking.)
– Cleaning spinach and bathua: Follow the same soaking and cleaning process for spinach as above. Amongst all the greens, bathua will have the maximum amount of dirt sticking to the leaves. So you have to do this cleaning process 2-3 times until the leaves look clean. (No need to chop spinach and bathua leaves.) - Chop the ginger, garlic and green chili into big chunks. Do not chop them finely otherwise pressure cooking makes them flavorless.
Prepping greens ahead: You can pluck the leaves earlier in the day or a day before. But always wash them right before cooking otherwise they start to wilt.
Making Punjabi Sarson Ka Saag In Instant Pot:
- Take all the greens (mustard leaves, spinach, bathua), chopped ginger, garlic, green chili, salt, and jaggery in a pressure cooker (or instant pot liner). Add water and cover it with a lid.
- Instant pot: Keep the valve to the sealing position and cook on manual (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and wait for the pin to drop.
– Stovetop pressure cooker: Cook on medium heat for 2 whistles and let the pressure go down by itself. - Once the pressure is released open the lid.
- Now using a hand blender, crush them roughly into a coarse texture gravy. If you want then you can make a smooth puree in a blender.
- Now add makki ka atta and mix.
- Simmer again (on saute mode in an instant pot or on medium-low heat on a stovetop) for 3-5 minutes or until the saag thickens. It may splutter a lot, so you can partially cover it while simmering. Also, do stir in between to make sure that it is not sticking to the sides and bottom.
Substitute for makki ka atta (maize flour): If you’re in the USA then you can find fine cornmeal easily in the grocery stores, use that. Or you can use besan (chickpea flour) though it will alter the taste slightly.
Make Tempering (Tadka):
- Heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit. Add dried red chilies and saute for 30 seconds or until they start to darken. Add hing.
- Immediately add minced garlic and saute for 40-50 seconds or until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add onion and sprinkle some salt (just enough for onions because we already added salt in the saag while pressure cooking).
- Cook until onions turn light brown and soft.
- Add this mixture into the prepared saag.
- Mix and It is ready to serve.
My saag turned out bitter, what to do?
– Cook some spinach, puree it, and add it to the prepared saag to reduce the bitterness.
– Add some more makki ka atta and it will tone down the bitterness.
How To Serve?
- A generous dollop of white butter (makhan) is added to the saag right before serving. If you’re in the USA, use the whipped butter instead of regular stick of butter.
- Sarson ka saag is usually served with makki ki roti (a flatbread made with maize flour). Though, tastes good with plain paratha or naan.
- Must-have sides with this meal are a piece of jaggery, sliced onions (you can sprinkle some salt and drizzle some lime juice to tone down the sharpness of onions), and pickle.
Storage & Freezing Instructions
- Refrigerator: Store the saag in an airtight container, and it will stay fresh for 4-5 days.
- Freezer:
- Saag freezes well for up to 3 months. I often make a big batch and freeze portions for future use.
- Always let the saag cool down completely before freezing.
- To reheat, simply defrost the portion in the refrigerator overnight or use the defrost setting on your microwave. Then, warm it on the stovetop or microwave until heated through.
- Freezing Options:
- You can freeze the pressure-cooked saag without tempering and add the onion tempering after defrosting.
- Alternatively, freeze the complete dish (with tempering). Personally, I find no difference in flavor when freezing the finished dish.
Check Out Similar Greens Recipes
Did you try this recipe? I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review in the comment section below. If you’re sharing it on your Instagram then don’t forget to tag me @spice.up.the.curry
Sarson Ka Saag Recipe
US measuring cups are used (1 cup = 240 ml)
Ingredients
To Pressure Cook:
- 1 lb Mustard leaves (Sarson), Or broccoli rabe (rapini), (around 500 grams)
- ½ lb Spinach (Palak), (around 250 grams)
- ½ lb Bathua, (Chenopodium leaves), (around 250 grams)
- 7-8 cloves Garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 inch Ginger, roughly chopped
- 5-6 Green chilies, roughly chopped
- 1 teaspoon Salt, or to taste
- 1 ½ teaspoon Jaggery (Gur)
- ¾ cup Water
Add To Cooked Saag:
- ¼ cup Makki ka atta, (maize flour) or fine cornmeal
For Tempering:
- 3-4 tablespoons Ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 3 Dried red chilies
- ½ teaspoon Hing (Asafoetida)
- 4 cloves Garlic, minced or finely chopped
- 1 medium Onion, , 1 cup chopped
- ¼ teaspoon Salt, or to taste
Instructions
- Prep: Remove and discard the tough stems of mustard leaves and keep the leaves in a large bowl of water for around 5-10 minutes and let the dirt, and sand settle at the bottom of the bowl. Then gently without disturbing the water too much remove the leaves, lightly squeeze out the water and chop them roughly. Because we are pressure cooking, no need to chop them finely.
- Similarly, clean the spinach and bathua. Amongst all the greens, bathua will have the maximum amount of dirt sticking to the leaves. So you have to do this cleaning process 2-3 times until the leaves look clean.
- No need to chop spinach and bathua leaves.
- Also, chop the ginger, garlic and green chili into big chunks. Do not chop them finely otherwise pressure cooking makes them flavorless.
- To make saag, take all the greens (mustard leaves, spinach, bathua), chopped ginger, garlic, green chili, salt, and jaggery in a pressure cooker (or instant pot liner). Add water and cover it with a lid.
- Instant pot: Keep the valve to sealing position and cook on manual (high pressure) for 5 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally and wait for the pin to drop.Stovetop pressure cooker: Cook on medium heat for 2 whistles and let the pressure go down by itself.
- Once the pressure is released open the lid. Now using a hand blender, crush them roughly into a coarse texture gravy. If you want then you can make a smooth puree in a blender.
- Now add makki ka atta and mix.
- Simmer (on saute mode in instant pot or on medium-low heat on stovetop) for 5 minutes or until the saag thickens. It may splutter a lot, so you can partially cover it while simmering. Also, do stir in between to make sure that it is not sticking to the sides and bottom.
- To make Tempering, heat the ghee in a pan on medium heat. Once hot add cumin seeds and let them sizzle a bit.
- Add dried red chilies and saute for 30 seconds or until they start to darken.
- Add hing and immediately add minced garlic and saute for 40-50 seconds or until the raw smell of garlic goes away.
- Add onion and sprinkle some salt (just enough for onions because we already added salt in the saag while pressure cooking). Cook until onions turn light brown and soft.
- Add this mixture into the prepared saag and mix. It is ready to serve.
Notes
- Prepping greens: You can pluck the leaves earlier in the day or a day before. But always wash them right before cooking otherwise they start to wilt.
- Chopping greens: Because we are using a pressure cooker and hand blender, no need to chop them finely. Even chop the mustard greens roughly and keep spinach and bathua whole. If making the traditional way (using madani to mash the saag) then chop all the greens finely and cook for a little less time. So mashing will be easier if you’ve chopped them earlier.
- Substitute for makki ka atta (maize flour): If you’re in the USA then you can find fine cornmeal easily in the grocery stores, use that. Or you can use besan (chickpea flour) though it will alter the taste slightly.
- My saag turned out bitter, what to do?
– Cook some spinach, puree it, and add it to the prepared saag to reduce the bitterness.
– Add some more makki ka atta and it will tone down the bitterness.
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