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Sarson ka Saag Recipe with Chawal ki Roti (Mustard Greens with Rice Flour Roti and White Butter)
Fozia Siraj

Sarson ka Saag with Chawal ki Roti

My homestyle Punjabi-Pakistani sarson ka saag: mustard greens slow-cooked with spinach, thickened with maize flour and finished with a garlicky ghee tarka and white butter, served with soft chawal ki roti (rice flour roti).
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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Servings: 4 people
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: pakistani
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Sarson ka Saag
  • 1 kg sarson (mustard greens) washed and roughly chopped with tender stems
  • 250 g palak (spinach) washed and chopped
  • 125 g bathua optional, washed and chopped
  • 4 green chillies
  • 8 cloves garlic
  • 1 inch ginger
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
  • 2 cups water
  • 3 tbsp makai ka atta (maize flour) or cornmeal
Tarka
  • 3 tbsp desi ghee or butter
  • 1 medium onion finely chopped
  • 1 tbsp ginger and garlic finely chopped
  • 2 green chillies chopped
  • 1/2 tsp red chilli powder optional
Chawal ki Roti
  • 2 cups rice flour (chawal ka atta)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 1/4 cups hot water just off the boil, add slowly
  • 1 tsp ghee for the dough
To Serve
  • 4 tbsp white butter (safaid makhan)

Equipment

  • Large heavy-bottomed pot with lid
  • Wooden masher (ghotni) or hand blender
  • Tawa (griddle)

Method
 

Make the Saag
  1. Put the sarson, palak, bathua, green chillies, garlic, ginger, salt and water in a large heavy pot. Cover and cook on low heat for 1 to 1.5 hours, stirring now and then, until the greens are completely soft and dark.
  2. Mash the greens with a wooden ghotni (masher) or pulse a few times with a hand blender. Keep some texture; saag should not be a smooth puree.
  3. Sprinkle the makai ka atta over the saag a little at a time, stirring well so no lumps form. Cook on low heat for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens and the raw flour smell goes.
Add the Tarka
  1. Heat the ghee in a small pan. Fry the onion until golden, then add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry for 1 minute. Add the red chilli powder if using.
  2. Pour the tarka over the saag, mix well and cook for 5 more minutes. Taste and adjust the salt.
Make the Chawal ki Roti
  1. Mix the rice flour and salt in a bowl. Slowly add the hot water, stirring with a spoon, until it comes together. Cover for 5 minutes.
  2. Add the ghee and knead with slightly wet hands into a soft, smooth dough. Divide into 6 to 8 balls.
  3. Pat each ball out between your palms or roll between two sheets of plastic into a thick roti.
  4. Cook on a hot tawa for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until light brown spots appear. Keep warm in a cloth.
Serve
  1. Serve the hot saag in a bowl with plenty of white butter on top, alongside the warm chawal ki roti with a little butter spread over it.

Notes

  • Balance the bitterness: sarson alone can taste sharp. Palak and bathua soften it. Use about 4 parts sarson to 1 part palak.
  • Slow is the secret: saag tastes best when cooked long on low heat. It tastes even better the next day.
  • Rice flour roti: the water must be hot, and the dough should be kneaded while warm. For more detail, see my full rice flour roti guide.
  • Storage: saag keeps 3 to 4 days in the fridge and freezes well for 2 months. Add fresh tarka and butter when reheating.