Sarson ka saag is a popular, traditional spicy mustard greens curry originating from Punjab, loved across North India for generations. Prepared with sarson (Mustard leaves) as the star ingredient, cooked together with paak (Indian spinach), bathua, methi greens making it feel like a warm hug in bowl. Let’s see how to make Sarson da saag with step by step pictures and full video with tips and tricks for beginners to get it right every time.
This is especially made during winter when mustard greens are available in cold months, it generates heat in the body keeping you warm.
Check out my Palak paneer recipe and Gond ke laddu recipe in this website.
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I know Sarson, bathua, mooli ki patti are not an everyday ingredient for everyone, especially if you live outside India. Have been always wanting to try this every since I started blogging. My friend too have suggested to try this with the local mustard greens we get in Singapore. Along with another dish Saibhaji, it’s my dream come true to try this. May be in Singapore Little India vegetable vendors may be selling this. But I hardly go there or even thought about it. But last month, when I went to Mustafa, I found all the greens needed to make Sarson ka saag. I got and made once.
To my surprise, last week again I got the ingredients in Sri Murugan, so thought of making again and blog. Sadly I could not get Mooli ki patti, so skipped it.
About Sarson Ka Saag
Sarson ka saag comes from Punjab, a region known for its bold, generous cooking. Winter there means fields full of mustard greens, are what make this dish. Mustard greens on their own have a sharp, slightly bitter taste. This is balanced with other greens like spinach, along with other greens and spices.
Bathua also called chenopodium is the traditional partner to mustard greens here. It is soft, earthy and smooths out the sharpness beautifully.
You might see this dish written both ways, Sarson ka saag and Sarson da saag. Ka is Hindi and Da is Punjabi. Sarson ka saag literally means curry of mustard greens or mustard greens dish. Traditionally, this saag is slow cooked in clay pots and churned with a wooden whisk called mathani, a deep labour intensive process. But you can choose to pressure cook, use blenders, provided you preserve the colour, texture, so that the dish do not suffer.
Why you will love this?
This recipe gives you:
- A rich, thick, not pasty, just right
- Balanced flavour, no harsh bitterness
- A beautiful tadka to serve
- Beginner friendly steps with no special equipment needed
- Works in an Instant pot too
Sarson ka saag Ingredients
Here are the ingredients you need to make at home.
- Sarson (Mustard greens) – the main ingredient of the dish. Use fresh stock for best results.
- Palak (Indian spinach) – balances the taste, gives a smooth, gentle base
- Bathua – traditional ingredient in the dish, earthy and soften the taste
- Methi (Fenugreek leaves) – Adds subtle depth, small quantity goes a long way
- Onion – builds body and adds sweetness
- Green chilli – For heat
- Ginger – adds freshness, helps with digestion
- Garlic – for flavour as well as balances the gastric nature
- Makki ka atta (Maize flour ) or Besan (gram flour) – thickener, gives saag it’s thick, creamy consistency
- Salt & Water
For tadka
- Ghee – adds irreplaceable flavour
- Butter – to garnish
- Ginger, garlic, green chilli – for flavour & spice
- Asafoetida – brings the flavour alive
- Red chilli – for classic smoky tadka flavour
- Coriander powder – adds a nice roundness to the tempering
- Red chilli powder – for colour and lovely finish
- Ginger julienne – Adds a warming flavor
Please see my recipe card below for quantities.
Step by step images
Clean all the greens well – sarson, spinach, bathua, methi. Wash them thoroughly, 2-3 times as there will be grit and mud. Roughly chop all the greens, I did not chop methi and kept as such.
- To start with, in a pot, add 1.5 to 2 cups water and add all chopped greens.
- Then add 1 tablespoon of crushed ginger+garlic+green chilies, white radish, turmeric, 1 tablespoon of ghee.
I added bit too much water than mentioned. This could affect the end consistency of the dish, so make sure to add less.
- Cook 10 minutes or until the greens are cooked soft.
- Then add salt, makki atta or besan dissolved in water to it.
- Using a blender, grind it coarsely.
- Do not grind smoothly. There should be some texture for authentic looks. Switch off the stove, set aside.
- In a heavy bottomed pot, heat clarified butter and temper with cumin seeds, red chilies, asafoetida (hing). Let the cumin seeds splutter
- Then add crushed ginger, garlic green chilli mixture, followed by chopped onion.
- Once onion is soft and golden, add coriander seeds powder and garam masala powder in low heat.
- Give it a quick stir.
- Add the cooked greens that we ground.
- Mix well and cook until thick and creamy. Switch off the stove.
- Just before serving, heat a tablespoon of clarified butter in a small pan and add ginger julienne to it.
- Then add red chilli powder and mix off the heat.
- Add it to the saag.
- Mix before you serve. This final tadka gives a beautiful flavour and look.
Serve sarson ka saag along with makki ki roti, topped with white butter.
Substitutions & Variations
Sarson – Mustard greens – If fresh mustard greens are not available, look for rapini or broccoli rabe at supermarkets, especially if you are living abroad. I have not personally tried this, but have heard from friends and read in forums that these work well here. Kale is another option, milder but still holds up nicely in the saag. Some Indian brand like Vadilal (not sponsored) also sell frozen mustard greens.
Bathua – If you can’t find, increase the spinach quantity as same as it’s quantity.
Methi – You can skip if it is not available. It is just supporting flavour.
Ghee – If you want to make vegan sarson ka saag, skip, use mustard oil.
Instant pot – This recipe beautifully works in an Instant pot. Add all the greens and cook on high pressure for 5 minutes in normal, with a quick release. Proceed as usual.
Get step by step instructions for this recipe in Instant pot from AI
Storage
Sarson da saag stores really well. Once cooked, cool down and transfer to airtight container and refrigerate for couple of days. It will thicken in the fridge, so just add a little water for reheating in low heat.
For longer storage, freeze in portions up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on stove top. You can freeze without tadka and add a fresh one while reheating. The flavors are much better that way.
Top Tip
- Make sure to cook the greens well, otherwise the dish can turn bitter.
- Using maize flour or besan gives that signature thick, creamy. Without it, the saag stays loose.
- Do not grind it smoothly.
- A generous tadka of ghee right before serving makes a lot of difference.
My notes
I do not chop methi as it will get cooked along with the others easily.
Here, I could not get radish greens so added the tender radish to the dish. You can use the green if can get it and skip radish.
Using immersion blender is best as you can have control over the texture as well as grind instantly in the pot itself, instead of waiting for it to cool down. You can always use a traditional mathan if you have.
Serving suggestion
Top the saag with fresh white butter and serve with a piece of jaggery on the side. Makki ki roti or any Indian flat bread pairs beautifully.
FAQ
Mustard greens as main ingredients, other greens, spices, maize flour for thickening and tadka of garlic, red chili.
To balance the natural bitterness from mustard greens, balance it with other greens like spinach. If you cook right and add spices as needed, it would not be bitter. Usually under cooked greens and under seasoned greens, taste bitter. So make sure to add enough spice, salt and cook well. You can add a small piece of jaggery if you want.
The traditional pairing is makki ki roti, a flatbread made with maize flour. But it also goes well with naan, plain roti, missi roti or even jeera rice.
Recipe card
Sarson ka Saag Recipe | Quick video recipe
Sarson ka saag is a popular, traditional spicy mustard greens curry originating from Punjab, loved across North India for generations. Step by step images & full video recipe
Equipments (Amazon Affiliate links)
Ingredients
- 2 cups Mustard leaves Sarson, measure tightly packed
- 2 cups Spinach Indian palak
- 1 cup Bathua
- ½ cup Methi leaves Fenugreek leaves
- ¼ cup White radish sliced thinly, refer note 1
- 3 tbsp Maize flour or Besan (I used besan/ gram flour)
- 1 tbsp Crushed Ginger, Garlic, Green chilli
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- ¼ teaspoon Turmeric Opitonal
- Salt
To temper
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds
- 2 Dry red chilli
- â…› teaspoon Asafoetida
- 1 tablespoon Crushed Ginger, Garlic, Green chilli
- 1 Onion finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon Coriander seeds powder
- ½ tsp Garam masala
Final Tadka
- 1 tbsp Ghee
- ½ tsp Kashmiri chilli powder
- 1 tablespoon Ginger Julienne
Instructions
-
Clean all the greens well – sarson, spinach, bathua, methi. Wash them thoroughly, 2-3 times as there will be grit and mud.
-
Roughly chop all the leaves, I did not chop methi and kept as such.
-
To start with, in a pot, add 1.5 to 2 cups water and add all chopped greens.
2 cups Mustard leaves, 2 cups Spinach, 1 cup Bathua, ½ cup Methi leaves
-
Then add 1 tablespoon of crushed ginger+garlic+green chilli, white radish, turmeric, 1 tablespoon of ghee.
¼ cup White radish, 1 tablespoon Crushed Ginger, Garlic, Green chilli, 1 tablespoon Ghee, ¼ teaspoon Turmeric
-
I added bit too much water than mentioned. This could affect the end consistency of the dish, so make sure to add less.
-
Cook 10 minutes or until the greens are cooked soft.
-
Then add salt, makki atta or besan dissolved in water to it.
Salt, 3 tablespoon Maize flour
-
Using a blender, grind it coarsely.
-
Do not grind smoothly. There should be some texture for authentic looks. Switch off the stove, set aside.
-
In a heavy bottomed pot, heat ghee and temper with cumin seeds, red chilli, asafoetida. Let the cumin seeds splutter
1 tablespoon Ghee, 1 teaspoon Cumin seeds, 2 Dry red chilli, â…› teaspoon Asafoetida
-
Then add crushed ginger, garlic green chilli mixture, followed by chopped onion.
1 tablespoon Crushed Ginger, Garlic, Green chilli, 1 Onion
-
Once onion is soft and golden, add coriander seeds powder and garam masala powder in low heat.
1 teaspoon Coriander seeds powder, ½ teaspoon Garam masala
-
Give it a quick stir.
-
Add the cooked greens that we ground.
-
Mix well and cook until thick and creamy. Switch off the stove.
-
Just before serving, heat a tablespoon of ghee and add ginger julienne to it.
1 tablespoon Ghee, 1 tablespoon Ginger
-
Then add red chilli powder and mix off the heat.
½ teaspoon Kashmiri chilli powder
-
Add it to sarson ka saag.
-
Mix before you serve. This final tadka gives a beautiful flavour and look. Sarson ka saag is ready.
Video
Notes
- Note 1: I added the young tender white radish from the radish plant. I could not get fresh radish leaves, so used white radish. If you get white radish leaves, you can use ½ cup of the leaves too.
- For the Ginger + Garlic + Green chillies, I took 12 cloves of garlic, same amount of ginger, 3 green chillies and ground coarsely in a blender. Used it divided in the recipe, once while cooking greens, then while sauteeing onion.
