Sarson Ka Saag

Sarson ka saag is an authentic Punjabi winter special with mustard greens as main ingredient. Along with mustard greens, few more select varieties of greens like spinach, chenopodium (bathua), radish greens etc.

The ultimate comfort food for winter, also very healthy, this Pumjabi sarsaon da saag is super easy to make. Served with makki roti (flatbread with maize flour), white butter and loads raw onions, it is one of a kind meal, truly irresistible.

More Punjabi recipes – Rajma masala, palak paneer, Punjabi chole, aloo gobi , amritsari chole

What Is Sarson Ka Saag

Cooking with seasonal produce is one of the finest experiences right? Indian cooking is all about using seasonal and local produces.

Come winter we have so many delicious Indian winter specials like gajar halwa, methi matar malai, matar ka nimona, gajar matar, sarson da saag and many more.

Sarson in english means mustard and saag means greens. Sarsaon ka saag recipe literally means cooked mustard greens. Mustard greens are abundant in winter, nutritious and keeps you warm.

If you want to eat mustard greens in the most delicious and hearty form, make sarsaon ka saag. It is a super simple recipe but the taste and flavor in truly unique.

Mustard greens have that slight bitter taste which is brilliantly balanced by using other greens like chenopodium, radish leaves, spinach leaves.

In some recipe for sarson ka saag turnip greens, fenugreek leaves are also added. So it is basically one part mustard greens and one part mixed greens. Here a small radish is also added along with other ingredients.

The most delicious aspect of this sarson ka saag recipe is the delicious tadka or tempering. Loads of onions and garlic fried in ghee or oil and added to the cooked saag just before serving, so good 🙂

Traditionally ghee is used but I did not have it handy, so I used oil here. So this is a vegan sarson ka recipe. However for the authentic taste ghee should be used.

Sarson da saag is served with makki ki roti during winters, which is soul warming, nutritious and comforting. If you are anything like me you will love this super creamy curry with rice and ghee, just like keerai masiyal in a different way 🙂

This Sarson Ka Saag Is

Healthy, nutritious

loaded with assorted greens

vegan and can be made gluten free

delicious with roti and rice

satiating and comforting.

Health Benefits of Mustard Greens

Mustard leaves known as sarson are super nutritious and a must during winters. These leaves have a slight bitter taste with a peppery bite.

Mustard greens are high in anti oxidants, phytonutrients, boosts immunity, rich in fiber and lowers cholesterol.

In this recipe it is combined with many other greens, making it a super healthy recipe.

What Other Ingredients Go In This Recipe?

Along with mustard leaves we also need few other greens for this recipe. Apart from the vegetables and aromatics like onion and garlic, no spices or spice powder like red chilli powder or garam masala is used in this recipe.

All the flavor comes from the greens itself, making it super a comforting dish suitable for all ages.

To make authentic Punjabi sarson ka saag recipe, make it super smooth and refrain from adding red chilli powder, garam masala or garam masala powder in this recipe. On the other hand, be generous with garlic while tempering.

Now coming to the other ingredients for this mustard green recipe Indian, you will need

bathua- bathua is the hindi name for chenopodium.

Palak-spinach leaves

Methi- fenugreek leaves

Mooli ke patter- radish leaves

Maize flour, onion, garlic, green chilies and tomatoes.

Now the ratio of mustard greens to other greens is variable. You can add as per your preference. Mustard greens have a slight bitter taste with pungent flavor. Using greens like spinach offsets the biter taste.

I usually use one part sarson or mustard greens and one part mixed other greens. Say if I am using 250 grams of mustard greens, I would use 100 grams chenopodium and 100 grams of spinach along with some radish leaves. I use methi leaves as tempering.

Now if you don’t have some of the greens you can make this recipe with the available greens. You can use a mix of mustard greens, spinach and kale or collard greens or turnip greens, carrot tops, pok choy greens etc.

Keep the mustard and spinach leaves in the recipe and add whatever local greens available to you. It will taste good.

If no other greens are available just use mustard and spinach greens.

How To Clean Saag or Greens?

Cleaning and prepping the greens takes some time in any recipe for saag. Greens grow close to earth and are often covered with mud and dirt which means they need thorough cleaning.

The cook time for this recipe is less compared to prep time.

Here is how I clean and prep the greens for this recipe.

First off remove the greens from the stalk or stems. If the stems are very tender you can use them as well.

Place the leaves in a large pot and add water until they are completely covered. Set aside for 5 minutes. You can also add a pinch of salt and turmeric powder to the water.

Now remove the greens and you will see most of the impurities have settled down in the water. Rinse the greens again few times changing water and it is ready to use.

How To Cut Greens For This Recipe?

There are two ways to make sarson ka saag recipe. One is cooking the greens and blending them into fine puree as I did here or finely chop them and use a wooden masher or mathini and mash the greens as they cook.

If you are going to puree the greens, just chop them roughly. For the second method chop the greens finely by a good knife or food processor.

Always make sure to rinse the greens or any vegetable for that matter before chopping to retain nutrients.

How To Serve Sarsaon Ka Saag?

To get the authentic taste and feeling serve sarson ka saag with makki ki roti and a dab of white butter as done in Punjab and Delhi.

Makki ki roti is a flatbread made with maize flour.

I personally love this greens recipe with rice and ghee too. You can also serve this saag recipe with basmati rice, naan, paratha etc. If you make it super smooth, it is also a good filling soup, may be add some crusty bread.

Can We Make Ahead & Freeze This Saag?

You can easily make sarson ka saag recipe ahead and store for 2-3 days in refrigerator. Sarsaon ka saag actually tastes more good the next day, as flavors grow.

However if you want to freeze this saag recipe, prepare it without tempering. Let cool and store in freeze safe bags. Stays good for 2-3 months.

At the time of serving, remove from freezer reheat gently. Prepare the tempering, add to the greens and mix.

Tips & Variations

How to remove bitterness from sarson ka saag?

Sarson leaves are called mustard leaves in English and they are slightly bitter with a sharp flavor. To mellow down the flavor reduce the bitter taste we use good amount of spinach leaves in the recipe.

Radish is also added for the same reason. Instead of radish you can also add a small turnip or carrot.

How To Thicken saag recipe

To make this sarson ka saag thick and creamy two steps are the keys.

Add maize flour to the puree

slow cook the greens puree for 20-30 minutes.

Step By Step Method

How to make sarson ka saag

Pick, rinse and clean the greens thoroughly as mentioned above. Chop them roughly. lso cube the tomato onions, peel and cut the radish.

Add the chopped greens and vegetables to a pressure cooker. Add 2 cups water and stir. Cover the pressure cooker.

Cook for up to 4-6 whistles in medium flame if you are using a traditional pressure cooker. For instant pot as I did here, cook for 6 minutes in pressure cooker mode and let pressure release on it own.To cook on stove top, just use a thick pan, cover and cook for 40 minutes over medium heat.

Once the pressure is released, puree the contents using a immersion blender or transfer the contents to a blender jar and make a smooth puree. You can also blend coarsely for a different texture.

Now add 2 tablespoons maize flour to the puree and cook for another 20-25 minutes over low to medium heat. Maize flour thickens is to thicken the saag. If maize flour is not available use roasted chickpea flour.

To Temper The Sarson Da Saag

Before serving the saag, we need to temper it. Tempering brings out the real taste and flavor of saag.

Heat 2 tablespoons oil or ghee in a small pan. Add minced garlic, chopped onions and rinsed fenugreek or methi leaves.

Fry for 2 minutes.

Add to the cooked saag, continue to simmer the sarson da saag for 3-4 minutes. Remove from flame. Now saag is ready to serve.

Serve sarson ka saag hot with makki ki roti or rice.

I hope you will try this sarson ka saag recipe and enjoy as much as we did. Do snap a pic and share on Instagram with hashtag #cookclickndevou and please give a star rating ★ in the recipe card below. Follow us on Pinterest , Instagram, Facebook   for more recipes and ideas. Thank you so much for being here 🙂