Sarson ka Saag with Frozen Mustard

Sarson ka Saag with Frozen Mustard-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 make 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. Also try Mooli Methi Makai Ki Roti.

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

Aanchal Gupta

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.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 40 minutes mins

Course Dinner, lunch, Main Course, Vegetable, Vegetables and Greens

Cuisine Asian, Indian, North Indian, Punjabi

Servings 10 cups

Equipment

• 1 pressure cooker
• 1 chopping board
• 1 Knife
• 1 small pan for tarka

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 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

The original recipe by my friend calls for one 1 lb/16 oz/454 gms bag of chopped collard greens as well.It also says to use 3 bags of Mustard greens, since I didn’t use the collard, I replaced it with an extra bag/pound of chopped mustard.
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.

Sarson ka saag tastes best with lots of ghee/butter. Do not feel shy about adding more ghee than the recipe calls for!

Keyword authentic sarson ka saag recipe, frozen mustard greens, frozen turnip greens, indian saag with frozen mustard and turnip, punjabi sarson ka saag, punjabi sarson ka saag with frozen mustard, sarson ka saag with frozen mustard

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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, approximately

Enjoy with Makai ki Roti, butter and gur/jaggery

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