Sarson Ka Saag aur Makke Ki Roti

Mustard Greens and Corn Flatbread
Makke ki roti with sarson Ka saag needs no introduction to a North Indian,as for me,a kudi growing up in the rice bowl of India(south),makke ki roti was a delicacy I only heard but never had my hands in to.Just as Sambhar and rice are the Southern favorite ,the Roti and saag(greens)are the Northern staple food.There is subtle similarity between corn tortillas and Makke ki roti, as my fellow foodies would say after reading the recipe.

Mustard greens are mostly confined to North just as the corn.The fascinating mustard fields in the north with hues of yellow and green are quite an exhilarating sight,I remember ever so clearly from the song tujhe dekha to yeh jaana sanam....Back then I had no clue the hero-heroine are actually running around the nutrient rich mustard fields.
Like the SRK-Kajol jodi the bitter Mustard greens(Sarson) and makke ki roti makes a lovable evergreen duo. Curious me even tried adding these greens in salad ,bad idea... these are too bitter when raw,but when cooked with milder tasting spinach and spices the taste is heavenly.An authentic saag is made with ghee(clarified butter) and no oil,I would do the same If I burned calories like the hardworking folks working in the farm fields.Since I'm regularly irregular in working out,I used oil and little bit of butter for topping.So adjust the fat as per your activity schedule.


Sarson Ka Saag(Mustard Greens)
Ingredients
3 cups(about 1/2 pound) fresh Mustard greens(sarson),roughly chopped
1 cup Fresh Spinach(palak)
1 medium onion(pyaz),chopped
1 tablespoon Corn\maize flour(same as used in roti)
3 green chillies(Hari Mirch),chopped
1 teaspoon garam masala(ground cumin,cloves,cardamom and cinnamon)
1 teaspoon Coriander(dhania) powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon Extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ghee or butter

Method
Bring a pot of water to a boil,add the spinach and mustard greens,DO NOT COVER for nice green color,let wilt for 3-4 minutes.Drain all water.Puree in a blender not very smooth ,a little coarse is fine.

While the greens cook,heat Oil in a non-stick pan(preferably) on medium heat,saute onions until lightly brown.Add the green chillies allow to sizzle for few seconds
then add all the dry spices then after a minute stir in the flour,let roast for a 2-3minutes on low heat.When nice and aromatic,mix in the greens puree,season with salt ,stir often and allow to simmer for another 5-6 minutes on medium heat.Tastes best with makki ki roti,serve warm with little butter on top and some fresh crisp Onions.And thandi Mango Lassi would make this Punjabi meal complete.




Makke Ki roti(Corn Flat Bread)
Ingredients
2 cups Maize\Corn Flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup warm water

1 tablespoon of oil to spread over the roti.

Method
Combine all the ingredients to form a smooth dough.Cover and allow to rest for an hour.
The following is a modern method I guess,usually the dough is flatten by patting it using fingers.
Heat an iron pan or tava,take about lime size ball each time and press between sheets of
plastic using a heavy flat pan or plate.Peel out and roast on hot tava about a minute each side,should puff up nicely.spread a drop or two of oil all over the roti.Serve warm for best taste with saag.


Mango Lassi
Blend equal ratio of yogurt(dahi) with milk and mango until smooth.Chill and serve after the spicy meal.



The sarson ka saag is my entry for SWC Cooking with greens Hosted by Sowmya of Creative Saga

Comments

Chef Jeena said…
Fabulous recipe Yasmeen the greens look so healthy and delicious, love the picture of the greens. :-)
Simmi said…
Punjab di yaad dilaade...one of all time favorite meal
Vijitha said…
hi yasmeen Hr u doin? its been ages since I blogged. Now I am back n jus wanna say a hi.

Gr8 healthy post as always!
Priya Suresh said…
Thats a healthy saag Yas...lovely dish and corn roti looks amazing! both together looks very colourful and delicious!
Anonymous said…
Mustard greens sound delicious and healthy and great with roti!
Nithya Praveen said…
Fantastic.I buy the frozen mustard leaves here as we dont get fresh ones.I have failed miserably making the makke di roti...not sure wat went wrong.Guess i shud try ur recipe.Lovely one Yasmeen:)
Gita Jaishankar said…
What a lovley meal...so yummy with the greens, egg, and lassi ..love it :)
Yasmeen said…
Gita that's onion,sorry about the poor angle of the shot:)
Manju said…
ive somehow never managed to buy mustard greens to make sarson ka saag..i totally dig this dish!! yuumy!
Shabs.. said…
Hey yasmeen, this one really sounds healthy....want to try this one..want to sick to some healthy diet for some time....have beeing gulping on fatty food for some time...Never even heard of sarson...I never noticed anything called mustard greens here...probably i dono them ..Do we get these in asian stores or the normal supermarkets?let me know ok...thx....

And by the way thnx alot for the picassa info. It changed my blog life:)...I tried irfanview, dint like it much.
Trupti said…
both looks delicious..lovely photos
Richa said…
this reminded me of ma ka khana!. i've made saag a couple of times.. but never the whole collection.. i miss the makke ki roti, saag, fresh onion salad and pickled carrots combo!. thanks for posting!!
Oh my what a dinner seems so filling even to me the makke ki roti was so new until I happened to visit a neighbor back in India she makes awesome rotis and taught me how to make these!!! the sarson ka saag seems to be a nice combo with the roti!!!
Pooja said…
Healthy meal Yasmeen! Sarson ka saag looks creamy n delicious. So are the rotis n lassi!
Bharti said…
How yummy..and I love that song. I had no idea that those were mustard fields.
Hmmm,....complete Punjabi meal.....looks just lip smacking good...I love the taste of strong sarson in that saag..Love that combo too...
notyet100 said…
yummy platter,,.:-)
Ammu said…
very healthy dish yasmeen. Lovely dish.
Uma said…
ooh, all the dishes look soooo yummy :)
Parita said…
wow thats one of the most traditional dish and you have mastered this well..looks perfect dear..would love to dig in :)
Armina said…
Yasmeen u are one super human I've seen with a penchant for cooking healthy fab food.. Mashallah.. may your tribe increase :) I may not be able to opst comments on all of ur recipes coz I cannot match ur fervor and vigor.. but believe me.. I appreciate ur cooking skills a loooot..!
sangeeta said…
that's saron da saag te makki di rotti for me.......deadly combo.....here it can only be had in winters as it is not fit for hot summers here...
we add some methi n bathua saag also in it......tastes yum with white butter.
Amy said…
Yasmeen, that looks wonderful! I've never seen mustard greens in Australia and this is definitely making me hope I find some one day soon!
Shama Nagarajan said…
healthy combo dear...delicious
Raks said…
This is the healthiest of all greens,lovely dish and makke ki roti s new to me! Thanks for sharing!
lubnakarim06 said…
This is one of the great filmy combo... evergreen...looks yum in that metal utensils.
Finla said…
Loks healty beautiful and dleicous.
Ivy said…
Never had mustard greens before but the recipe sounds delicious.
suvi said…
absolutely awesome yasmeen!! love the butter in there...it is just not right to have sarson ka saag without a dollop of butter...yum.
Lena Jayadev said…
Yasmeen.... snaps are jut superb.. :)healthy combo dear...delicious :)
Vikis Kitchen said…
Very healthy recipe dear. Gonna buy this mustard green for weekend.
Nice combo with a maize bread.
mango lassi seems delicious..
Kalai said…
Corn roti looks fabulous.Mustard greens with spinach never tried.Healthy and colorful dish.
Sunshinemom said…
I make this during December when we get fresh mustard leaves. That field actually reminded me of SRK and DDLJ even before I read your post:) Pretty snaps and lovely rotis!
indosungod said…
Did you grow the greens? They look absolutely fabulous. The greens I see in the store are a darker shade and I have not bought them. I will try growing them maybe. Hopefully the black mustard seeds will sprout.

The saag and roti delicious.
Preeti Singh said…
I love this combination....have not tried this for monthsss...looks so inviting ...clicks are awesome too Yasmeen.
Unknown said…
i am so fascinated by this - makke ki riti and sarson ka saag..never tried or tasted it..looks so delicious..thanks a ton for sending this for the green event.Do send me a mail soon...
Indian Khana said…
Wow...this is to make drool rite? Looks so perfect..what a platter...gud entry
Renus Kitchen said…
you really cook amazing food..I have tried your recipes..they come out very good ! keep up the good work
Malar Gandhi said…
Love this combo, so healthy. Mustard greens looks very fresh and appealing. Good job, awesome clicks as usual.
Lisa Turner said…
Now that's a five star meal! I am starving just now, waiting on a friend to go out for dinner and shouldn't be looking at your blog :)
Yasemin said…
I hated mustard greens until now! Mostly because, I think in America too many people feel that mustard greens can only be combined with pork hocks. Very nice to find a new recipe that doesn't include the usual bacon that's kept me from eating any mustard greens! Love you Yasmeen...
Unknown said…
That looks too green n healthy!
Like you said, for me too, this was foreign to me till we ate this at a family friend's place, with asli "maakhan"!
And lassi is the perfect way to round it off!:)

Unfortunately, I don't get mustard greens here.
Anonymous said…
I just love your blog! always healthy and always soo good! gr8 post!
Rekha said…
Looks yumm, wish I was there to try it out :)
Preeti said…
gr8 write up,I'm a punjabi,the combo makes me nostalgic of my mom's food.
Anonymous said…
Hi
Do you use green cardamom or black cardamom in your garam masala? Also why do you drain the water from the saag? Don't we lose all the nutrients?
Thanks in advance!
Btw you are doing an excellent job. My husband was recently told he has high cholesterol. Your recipes have been very helpful. Thanks again!
best site said…
Your blog is really awesome, thank you so much for sharing with us this valuable information.
see it here said…
Its really helpful for me, awaiting for more new post. Keep Blogging!

Contact Health Nut

Name

Email *

Message *