Sarson Ka Saag | Mustard Greens Recipe - Cook with Kushi (2024)

Sarson Ka Saag is a popular North Indian winter recipe prepared using mustard greens and spices. Serve it with makki ki roti (corn flour bread) for a complete vegetarian meal.

Recipe card

Punjabi sarson ka saag

Sarson ka saag is a winter recipe prepared using mustard greens and other green-leaf vegetables. Sarson means mustard in English, and saag means spiced greens.

Mustard greens are bitter, and to balance the taste, other greens are combined. I love to add spinach as it is easily available. You can combine any greens that are in season, fromspinach (palak), bathua (chenopodium), turnip, collard greens, radish leaves (mooli ke patte) to fenugreek leaves (methi)

This dish is prepared during the Lohri festival along with peanut chikki, carrot halwa, etc.

Ingredients

Mustard greens: Also called sarson is, a key ingredient that adds a unique flavor to the dish. These are leafy vegetables with a bitter taste.

Spinach: This balances the bitterness of mustard greens and adds a bright color to the dish.

Other green leaf vegetables: You can add half spinach and substitute the other half with bathua (chenopodium), turnip, collard greens, radish leaves (mooli ke patte), fenugreek leaves (methi) for extra flavor.

Spices: I have used cumin seeds, hing, and garam masala powder.

Step-by-step instructions

How to cook mustard greens for sarson ka saag?

• Traditionally, all the ingredients are cooked together in a pressure cooker or instant pot and then added to a mixie jar or blender. But I do it a little differently to retain the green color.
• Nicely wash and chop the greens.
• Bring water to boil in a pot. To this, add chopped leaves andcook them uncovereduntil the leaves are cooked.
• Drain and keep it aside. Let this cool down.
• Grind the leaves in a mixie jar or blender to a coarse paste.

How to make sarson da saag?

• Heat oil in a pan. To this, add cumin seeds and saute for a few seconds.
• Add hing, onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilies and saute until onion becomes translucent.
• Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes become soft.
• Now add maize or corn flour and cook for another 2 to 3 minutes or until any rawness goes off completely.
• Now add garam masala powder, salt, coarse green paste, and water as needed for desired consistency and cook for 15 minutes or until oil separates.
• Serve hot with makki ki roti and a dollop of butter, and enjoy. (You can temper if needed, read tips)

Chef tips

• Vary the spices and all ingredients to taste.
• The dish is tasty the way it is prepared. If needed, you can give a classic Punjabi tadka or temper to the Sarson da saag; in a pan, heat 2 tablespoon of ghee or oil. Add a pinch of hing, one finely chopped onion, and three garlic cloves, and saute until the onion becomes translucent. Add this to the gravy and serve with a dollop of butter.
• I simply add 1 :1 ratio of mustard greens and spinach most of the time. But if you have green available where you stay, feel free to add them.
• For authentic taste, you can add radish roots, turnips, or red radishes.
• You can saute the ingredients with oil for the vegan version and ghee for the traditional dhaba-style vegetarian version.

Store and Freeze

• Saag tastes best the day after it is made. Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for three days and reheated just before serving.
• Once the dish is done, let it cool down completely. Store in a freezer bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Thaw the saag, reheat, and temper to make it fresh again.

Serving suggestions

• Traditionally, makki ki roti and sarson ka saag are very popular combos served in restaurants and dhaba.
• You can serve it with Indian naan, simple roti, or even paratha.

Recipe FAQs

More recipes to try during winter

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Note: We originally posted this Punjabi vegan sarson ka saag recipe in Sept 2015. It has now been modified in Jan 2024 with Expert Chef Tips, FAQs, Storage Instructions, etc.

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