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Sarson Ka Saag, a very popular recipe from Punjabi Cuisine. Saag is a mix of greens based vegetarian gravy that is usually served with Roti/Naan (especially Makki ka roti) or Pulao varieties. Sarson means "Mustard Greens". Along with mustard greens, palak, fenugreek and other greens like beet greens or radish greens are concocted together and tossed with Indian spices. Sarson Ka Saag gravy is enriched more with Paneer or cooked Chole. If we add Paneer to saag its referred as "Saag Paneer". Chole added to saag is referred as "Chole Saag".

Punjabi gravies are always rich and creamy. We have to more generous with desi Ghee, paneer and rich cream to get authentic taste. We can bring in any variations to this saag by adding different varieties of greens and spices. Saag Paneer or Saag Chole is one of the most common main course in any Indian Restaurant. I recently tasted Saag chole in a nearby new restaurant and I loved it so much. The saag was so tasty with mild masala. I talked to the chef and he said spices like coriander, garam masala or cumin are generally not added to saag. Its a very simple masala with richness of greens. Mustard leaves gives the authentic taste but if we don't get it, we can use palak, fenugreek and other greens to make this healthy gravy!

Tips to make Perfect Sarson Ka Saag | Saag Paneer:

Greens to be cooked Uncovered: Mustard greens and other greens are to be cooked in a open pan. Greens have a volatile acids which should be allowed to escape while cooking. Also uncovered cooking retain the green color of the greens
Adding sugar, brings down the slight bitter taste of mustard and fenugreek leaves
Generous Ghee or Butter gives original flavor but we can also add oil instead
We can add chopped Radish or carrot for a variation
Generally we use 2 measures of mustard for 1 measure of other greens. But if mustard greens are not available use 3 portions of the available greens
Add less Salt, Greens once cooked, becomes less in quantity so we need to carefully add salt.
We can refrigerate Sarson ka saag gravy in refrigerator and we can add paneer or cooked chole while serving!

You can also try:

Recipe Card for Sarson Ka Saag Recipe | Saag Paneer Recipe:

Instructions with Step by Step Pictures:

PREPARING GREEN BASE

First we need to cook the greens together. For that, we first need to take the leaves of mustard, methi and palak and wash it thorougly twice or thrice to get rid of any sand or dust particles

In a wide pan, add all the greens together. Also add chopped green chili, ginger and garlic

Cook everything together for about 5 mins. The leaves will release water while cooking so we generally don't need to add water. But if the leaves are dry then we can add ¼ cup of water and let the leaves cook completely. Once the greens are cooked, swtich off the flame. Add a cup of cold water and grind it to a smooth paste. I used a hand blender. We can use our mixer jar to grind it. We can even cook for long time and using a curd beater, we can mash the leaves.

Now our green paste is ready! Lets prepare the saag

FINISHING SAAG

Heay ghee in a pan. First add the chopped onions along with chopped ginger and garlic and saute till the onions turn translucent. We have already added ginger-garlic with the greens so we can skip here, but more garlic makes the saag even more flavorful

When the onions turn translucent, add the greens paste. Add the necessary salt now and cook the greens with the onion for about 5 mins. After 5 mins, the saag will be ready.