Sarson-da-Saag & Makki-di-Roti

 

  

The sarson ka khet has inspired many a film maker. Yashji (Yash Chopra)  highlighted romance in these fields.

 

 

We as a family love to travel and eat good food. Variety is the spice of life. My daily cooking includes different cuisines Indian, Continental and South East Asian. On one of our road trips to Punjab during the children's winter vacation in the year 1993-94, we drove on G.T. Road.

It's a foodies paradise, long stretches of mustard fields, wheat fields, rice fields and the most attractive place for foodies the DHABA, be it Vaishnav or non-veg, the smoky flavor of freshly cooked food on wood fire, the aroma of chicken just out of the tandoor being brushed with butter. Rotis coming out of Tandoors. I"ll tell you a secret, at times we carried with us 100 gms of butter when we ate in street Dhabas in Delhi, to splash on our rotis. This  arouses the senses and platefuls of yummy food is consumed  by city dwellers like us who always discuss diets to keep one in good health and good shape. At a Dhaba you eat to your hearts content, forget the calories. You only live once. . The welcome drink lassi in tall bronze tumblers is gulped not sipped. This is Punjab, the land of five rivers, where in winter, every household cooks Sarson-da-Saag.

I mastered this recipe to serve my elder son-in-law Kamal Monga, a Punjabi.
I hope he is honest when he claims the taste of my sarson-da-saag is very close to his home food.

 

 

Ingredients:

• 1kg mustard leaves
• 250gms Spinach
• 8 green chillies
• 60 gms ginger
• salt to taste
• 2 tbs Makki-ka-Atta (maize flour)
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 225 gms white butter.

 

Method:

 

• Wash vegetable thoroughly , roughly shred leaves and finely slice stems. Discard hard stems.
• Wash green chillies.
• Cut 2/3 of ginger and julienne the rest

Cooking:

 

• Put the mustard, spinach and green chillies in a pressure cooker and cook till 4 whistles.
• Remove and drain the vegetable keep the liquid of the cooked vegetable for further use.
• Make a coarse puree of the vegetable.
• Return the pureed vegetable to a handi, add makai-ka-atta, red chilli powder and remaining chopped green chillies.
• Mix well.
• Return to heat and add the reserved liquid enough to get the desired consistency of the saag.
• Add 7tbs of butter cover and simmer for 30mins
• Adjust seasoning.

Tempering:

 

• Heat 7 tbs of butter in a pan, add ginger juliennes sauté over medium heat for 2to3mins.
• Bring the simmering sarson ka saag to a boil and pour on the tempering. Stir and serve with Makai-ki Roti.

 

 

Makki-di-Roti:

Makki-di-Roti is a flat, unleavened Punjabi bread made from corn flour, primarily eaten in Punjab region of India and Pakistan.
 

 

•  Make a firm dough with makki ka atta, salt and luke warm water.
•  Roll or pat into chapati and roast on tawa.
• Serve with a dollop of white butter.

 

Indulge, you don't eat this everyday.

 

Eat the Punjabi way. Sitting on a manji with a tall glass of  lassi.

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