Saag

Spinach/Sarson Curry (Saag)


I had this amazing dish at a Pakistani Restaurant at Flensburg in Germany. I couldn't stop myself from trying it and within the next three days of my birthday dinner, I tried this at home. 


Absolutely simple and fantastic dish, specially for those who like saag. 


My recommendation would be to use sarson, however for Indians living outside india, just buy two packs of frozen spinach with cream. I used two packets of 'Luksus grønt' spinach to make this recipe. 


In case you are using fresh spinach or fresh mustard leaves, wash them thoroughly and then chop them into fine strips. It is best to leave a little leafy texture to this recipe. It just enhances the taste. :)


Ingredients


Spinach with cream - 500 gram
Onion - 1 big sized
Tomato - 1 big sized
Crushed Ginger - 1 table spoon
Crushed Garlic - 1 table spoon
Cumin Seeds (Zeera) - 2 tea spoons
Salt - To taste
Red Chilli Powder - 2 tea spoons
Garam Masala - 1 tea spoon
Ghee - 4 table spoons


Method


Peel the onion and grind the onion and tomato to a fine paste in a mixer or food processor. Keep aside.
Heat 2 table spoons ghee in a non stick pan, and add cumin seeds to the hot ghee. When the seeds have crackled, add the onion-tomato paste to it and stir fry till the mixture is golden brown. If you feel that the mixture is sticking to the base, add more ghee to it so that it doesn't burn. 


Cook for 2 minutes, and then add the spinach with cream to the pan. I had the frozen packets so it took no time for me to prepare for this dish. If you are making this dish with fresh spinach or fresh sarson, then you will need to take out some time, prior to cooking, for cleaning and shredding the spinach or mustard leaves. 


Cover the pan with a lid and let the spinach-cream mix cook on a low flame for 15 minutes. Keep checking in between to ensure that the spinach is getting the right consistency. If you feel that you need more cream you can add more fresh cream to the recipe. After 15 minutes, add salt, red chill powder and garam masala. 


In another small pan take two table spoons of ghee, and heat it. Add the crushed ginger and garlic paste to the ghee and stir fry for 1 minute. Pour this mixture on top of the spinach and mix nicely. Cover the lid of the pan (with spinach) so that the aroma is sealed into the dish. 


Serve hot. Best with naan and zeera rice. 


Tip: To add to the aroma of the dish, add a little cottage cheese (paneer) while serving on top of the dish.