Sarson da Saag with Makki di Roti

Every Punjabi household argues about sarson da saag, and almost all of the arguments are about time. The greens need a long, slow simmer after blending — that is where the sharpness turns sweet and the whole thing goes from bitter to deep. Rush it and you will taste why nobody rushes it.

The ghee that goes on at the end is not a garnish. It is the last ingredient.

Ingredients

• 750 g mustard greens (sarson), chopped
• 250 g spinach, chopped
• 100 g bathua (goosefoot) or extra spinach
• 1 tbsp maize flour (makki ka atta), plus more if needed
• 2 green chillies
• 1 inch ginger, plus 1 tbsp julienned for the tempering
• 6 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 4 tbsp Gobind Ghee, plus more for serving
• Salt to taste
• For the roti: 2 cups makki ka atta, warm water, salt

Method

1. Put the greens, chillies and the whole piece of ginger in a heavy pot with 1 cup water and a little salt. Cover and cook on medium for 25 minutes, until completely collapsed.
2. Cool slightly, then blend coarsely — you want texture, not a smooth purée. A traditional wooden ghotni does this best; a few pulses in a blender is fine.
3. Return to the pot. Stir in the maize flour, which thickens the saag and stops it splitting. Now simmer on low for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every few minutes. This is the step that makes the dish.
4. In a separate pan, heat 3 tbsp ghee. Fry the garlic until pale gold, add the julienned ginger, then the onion. Cook until the onion is properly browned, not just soft — 10 minutes at least.
5. Add the tomato and cook until it breaks down and the ghee separates at the edges.
6. Tip the tempering into the saag. Stir, check salt, and simmer 5 minutes more.
7. For the rotis, mix the makki ka atta with warm water and a pinch of salt into a soft dough. Pat each ball flat between your palms or between two sheets of plastic — it has no gluten and will crack if you roll it hard. Cook on a hot tawa, turning once, then press the edges so it puffs.
8. Serve the saag with the last tablespoon of ghee melting on top, and more at the table.

The ghee note

Three tablespoons go into the tempering, where the ghee carries the garlic and onion flavour into the greens. The final spoon goes on at the table, unmelted, so it pools into the hot saag as you eat. Butter can stand in for the table spoon at a push; nothing stands in for the tempering.

Tips

• Do not skip the bathua if you can find it — it rounds out the mustard's bite.
• Saag genuinely improves overnight. Make it a day ahead if you can.
• If it tastes flat, it usually needs more time on the heat rather than more salt.

Substitutions

Frozen mustard greens work when fresh are out of season — use 1 kg and cut the initial cooking time. Kale can replace part of the spinach.

Storage

Five days refrigerated, three months frozen. Reheat gently with a splash of water and finish with fresh ghee.

Serving

Makki di roti, a slice of raw onion, green chilli, and a piece of gur to finish. Buttermilk on the side.

Nutrition

Approximately 290 kcal per serving of saag, based on six servings, excluding roti. Estimated values.