Pages

Thursday 7 January 2010

Winter Special- Makke Di Roti Aur Sarson da Saag (Corn Meal Bread and Mustard Leaf Curry)

clip_image002
Hello!
When we say winter the first thought of  food that comes to any ones mind here in North India is surely Makke di Roti and Sarson da Saag. Punjabis love to eat this and it frequents their kitchen quite regularly in this season.
Traditionally in villages it is made on ‘chulha’ which adds a different flavor and takes the recipe to another level which surely can not be achieved on a gas stove, but living in an apartment Chulha can not be thought of…
Talking about Mustard leaf, it is a member of the cruciferous vegetable family. It shares the same cancer-preventing benefits of broccoli, cabbage and kale. Mustard is a pungent winter vegetable, abundantly available in this season. It contains large amounts of beta carotene and vitamin C that are important antioxidants. Mustard greens are also a source of calcium that can be important to lactose intolerant individuals. Mustard greens also contain a significant amount of iron.
Mustard greens can be eaten raw or cooked. The whole plant can be cut at once or individual outer leaves can be picked for a cut-and-come-again harvest. The young leaves, four to five inches long , are mild-flavored and can be eaten raw in salads. The older leaves taste better when prepared as cooked greens.
Makke di Roti can be made in various variations…like the plain, methi (fenugreek) and mooli (radish) and can be eaten with green chutney and butter also.
Ingredients For Sarson Ka Saag
5 cups chopped Mustard greens
1-1/2 cups chopped Spinach Leaves
2 onions chopped
5-6 garlic pods
1-1/2” ginger piece
8-10 green chilies chopped (check the spiciness)
2-1/2 tbsp corn meal
2 tsp coriander pwd
1 tsp red chili pwd (optional)
2-3 dry red chilies
clarified butter for cooking
Method
Wash the greens with plenty of water to remove the dirt and soil and then chop finely.
Chop finely the ginger, garlic, onion and green chilies.

clip_image002[5]
Take a deep pan and take 7-8 cups of water in it, put some salt. Once the water starts boiling first add the mustard greens let it cook for a minute and then add the spinach and cook for another minute. Remove the greens and put them immediately in cold water, this stops further cooking of the greens and keeps the green colour intact. Another precaution that should be taken is never close the vessel in which the greens are either boiled or cooked.
P1010865
P1010866
Grind the greens.
P1010868
Heat 5-6 tbsp of ghee in a pan. Add chopped onions and saute, when it turns translucent add ginger-garlic and saute for a minute and then add green chilies. Add salt to taste and coriander powder, saute till the onions are nicely brown in colour now add the corn meal and let the meal get nicely roasted for a few minutes  till a nice aroma is produced. The corn meal acts as a binder.

clip_image002[7]

Now add the green leaf paste, mix thoroughly and bring it to a boil. Adjust the consistency by adding some water.
P1010878
P1010879
Heat a spoon of ghee in a separate small pan and add dry chilies and red chili pwd. Pour the baghar immediately on the saag.
P1010880
Serve hot with some home made butter on top.

clip_image002[15]clip_image002[9]

Ingredients For Makke di Roti
2 cups Corn meal
1/2 cup grated radish
2 green chilies chopped
salt to taste
hot water for kneading the dough
Method
As I have explained earlier that this roti can be made in various variations. Here I am making with radish. Take  the cornmeal in a large plate, add radish, green chilies and salt to taste and mix thoroughly. The radish releases it’s water. Now add hot water (hot enough that your hands can handle) and make a dough. Every time we start making the roti take a small portion of the dough (small orange size) and knead it again properly. This helps in making soft rotis with smooth edges.
P1010881
P1010882
Traditionally the roti is made using hands and that surely needs expertise, I make in a simpler way by patting  and moving it using flour and this method can be further simplified by patting it on a plastic sheet and then lifting the plastic sheet away from the roti. This method is good for beginners.
1.P1010883
2. P1010887
After lifting the roti put it on a hot tava/girdle and cook from both the sides and then put a spoon of ghee and shallow fry the roti.
P1010888
P1010889
P1010890
Cut it into quarter pieces and serve it with the saag along with some jaggery, radish, a piece of lemon and green chili.
Here’s how the platter looks like
clip_image002[11]
Sending this to Monthly Mingle:Winter fruits and vegetables hosted by Cook like a bong and started by Meeta.

58 comments:

  1. Wow!! looks so delicious and new to me my friend..glad that u shared them with us.Thanks a ton:)

    ReplyDelete
  2. omg.. Pari, I was planning to post the same dish in a few days, that too with makke ki roti and all :) Glad I checked your blog first! Will think of something else now :) This looks great, you give such a beautiful pictorial tutorial. Very nicely done.

    ReplyDelete
  3. That looks so so delicious..I made only once this combo.....

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dear Saraswathy, I am so glad you liked it, do try it's a famous preparation from Punjab.
    Dear PJ, please I insist do post your version, the blogosphere is full of similar posts but every one add their touch to the recipe and that's a good learning.
    Prathy, make it again this winter and write ur version.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dear Pari,
    Makke di roti aur sarson da saag looks great. Great photos!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Have never tried sarson ka saag. Looks so yumm and also healthy. Roti too looks crisp and nice combo Pari

    ReplyDelete
  7. Thanks Rachana for appreciating.
    Padma do try this and you will fall in love with this preparation.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Have never tried and very new to me.. Looks yummy and crispy..

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow..pari I do regulary come to ur blog....but don't know the reason it's not leting me to wirte comments...even today I tried two time......but could not....just now finally I'm able to get here.....saag look delicious dear....heard alot about it but never prepared.....sure ur preparation is tempting me...will try and let u know the outcome........

    ReplyDelete
  10. lovely and delicious..within no time i am taken to the fields of punjab and the hindi films !! :-)

    ReplyDelete
  11. have been wanting to make this for a long long time.....now I am inspired again. Lovely pics and great recipe! will try it soon. keep it up pari!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Dear Let me know the exact problem that you are facing, will try to figure out.Nobody has told told me till now that they are facing problem while commenting.
    SE, ya this recipe surely brings DDLJ and Kajol to my mind.
    Hey Preeti, go ahead and try it. The saag had really turned out well.
    Anu thanks for appreciating.

    ReplyDelete
  13. hey pari i was looking out for this combo recipe from mny days...thnx a lot for it...ur roti n sagg luks yumm...m very eager to try it very sun...

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Pari, thanks girl. Happy 2010 to you too.

    Great combo to have in Winter, perfect pics! :))

    ReplyDelete
  15. Mustard green curry looks new and delicious..cornmeal roti looks beautiful..both together fantastic..

    ReplyDelete
  16. Wow, my mouth is full of water rightnow...wat a delicious combo...my mom makes the rotis with her hands n they come out just awesome.

    ReplyDelete
  17. New one for me!
    Looks and sounds yummy.
    Will def give it a shot, one of these days.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Delish ! This is the 2nd I have seen in blog-world recently..I have to try it now ! Where do you get the mustard greens ? I dont think Ive seen any in farmers market here..

    ReplyDelete
  19. loved the pictures..this is one tempting hit combo..

    ReplyDelete
  20. Wow..what a yummy platter..The color of the saag is tempting :-)

    ReplyDelete
  21. Saw Prasu's comment on problem with commnting..Whenever I click on the captha it takes me to the middle of the page, this happens to me whenever I try to comment in your blog..but then I scroll down and again click..

    ps: You could moderate this comment..Just wanted to let you know :-)

    ReplyDelete
  22. Hey Pari...this is absolutely gorgeous platter. And I just cant stop appreciating your efforts to explain the procedure in detail. Simply great...as i am big fan of this hearty meal.


    I also had the same problem as Prasu said. The comment section just doesn't appear on the page...then i reopened the page and its ok.


    Very lovely post. Great work.

    ReplyDelete
  23. wow! I have heard of this dish so many times.bt never knew how to prepare it! such a nice explanation with pics..Loved it!

    Renuka
    http://cookingyummy.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  24. Mustard leaves curry is new to me...Sounds great and looks so delicious..

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Gulmohar, I have not faced this kind of problem earlier, would not know how to correct it, I am a technically challenged person, guide me if u can. :)

    Thanks Renuka that you liked my explanation.

    Dear Chakhlere, many thanks, I am happy that you notice my efforts. I only hope that people get inspired and my explanation helps them to try the recipe.

    ReplyDelete
  26. Siddhi do try and let me know how it turned out.
    Asha ji thanks for dropping by and appreciating my recipe.

    Thanks Mansi, Sowmya and Shri.

    Priya if you have not tried this, just do it girl. You are gonna love making this.

    Deepti I am still trying to learn using my hands to make the roti, one day I will surely learn it, else I will surely bother ur Mom to teach me.

    Dips I am not sure where u live, here in N.India it's available abundantly now. You surely get canned Mustard greens in Indian grocery stores.
    Thanks Sangeetha, do try it.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Heard a lot abt this famous combo, would love to taste it as well...it looks really great esp the colour of it and must be very delicious as well...thanks for the recipe pari

    ReplyDelete
  28. You are soon gonna be vocab, I keep on bugging you with translations of culinary words :P . this time its mustard green, Any idea what we call it in local language , in marathi ? :(
    Had read loads of recipes with Mustard green - chard but still confused as to what exactly is this ?

    ReplyDelete
  29. Sushma do try this combo, I assure you that u will love it.
    Kanchan it is called sarson in hindi and Mohri in marathi. Ask for Mohari chi paan or sarson ke patte/saag. Hope this helps you.

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hi Pari,

    Thank you for stopping by my blog - now I learnt how to keep the palak green from your post.

    I love this combination - this is perfect winter food - heavy and yet good. There is a small punjabi place here that is known for this and we go eat there always. I should try it sometime soon!

    ReplyDelete
  31. HEy dear, same as PJ, I too was planning to post this meal but mine pics didn't came out good, though make it every week but taking pics at the dinner time is sometime totally out of mind...Love your platter....I can eat it anytime of the day....

    ReplyDelete
  32. Dear pari
    great treatment for a traditional dishm very well presented with photos and essential tops. I love this.
    I never tried ghee. This dish is traditionally cooked in Mustard oil and a fresh butter lump is added as a toping.
    Next time add 11/2 cup of Bathua sag apart from sarsho and Palak. This a traditional combo as it is just the bathua season.
    Koreans eat hell of a lot of raw mustard green during season and also grown in green houses. Normally it is eaten raw with dressings, meat and fish...
    Thanks for the detailed info on the benefits of this sag.
    Have a nice weekend

    ReplyDelete
  33. Dear Ushnish
    I disagree to u on this traditionally and to give an authentic flavour it is cooked in ghee. Some people do use mustard oil and am sure it will impart a different flavour.
    Spinach or bathua is added only to reduce the pungency or the strong flavour of Mustard. People make this devoid of the spinach or bathua too. Some people also add turnip to their gravy and some add garam masala also but the authentic curry asks for all natural flavours to be kept intact. I have tried to keep my saag close to the authentic version so did not opt for any tomatoes, turnips....Do try this way, it's worth finger licking.
    Have a good day.

    ReplyDelete
  34. Platter looks awesome, Pari..wow, both are authentic recipes....want to make sarson ka saag once, bookmarked your page, thanks for sharing..I love to follow authentic recipes

    ReplyDelete
  35. this looks so yummy and tempting!

    ReplyDelete
  36. Dear Pari
    Thank you so much for the information and the details. I did not know .
    I don't know much about this dish but learnt a bit when I was in a remote village of Punjab for few months and learnt the way they used to cook..
    I eat a lot sarosho ka sag as salad or stir fried or cook with meat too.
    I love Bathua the most and cook it as it is.
    Most of my cookings ( barring where mustard oil is a must) I use only ghee, which is easy to digest.

    Of course I am going to use ghee and your recipe and it is definitely better than the one I cook, where onion, green chili and ginger all added raw, very little oil but lot of white butter added.
    You are right tomato and garam masala in a tabu in ths dish.
    Have a nice weekend

    ReplyDelete
  37. Dear Ushnish da, I have also made the sarson ka saag by the method u have mentioned, using everything raw and we liked that too, trust me if I compare both the versions, I found this better.
    In villages some people also roast the onions in the chulha and add it to the saag, that also tastes awesome. But next time I make this I do want to try using mustard oil, I have used normal oil for making this earlier but ghee ki baat kucch aur hai. My neighbour's cook who hails from a village makes saag for her uses a mix of oil and ghee. I guess we have many versions of the saag to try now. :)
    You too have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  38. This sounds delicious and looks awesome. Wow. Love the photos. Makes me want to have some now and thanks for the input..

    ReplyDelete
  39. Wow! They're freaktastic! Wish I could have them!

    ReplyDelete
  40. yummy delicious platter..happy new year

    ReplyDelete
  41. Detailed step by step instructions there..I really appreciate u'r effort

    ReplyDelete
  42. I just love this dish and often request my friends to make it for me....
    it looks mouthwatering...

    ReplyDelete
  43. Just toooooo goooood !!!! Perfect for the winter there:)

    ReplyDelete
  44. i took 2minutes to pronounce it properly.. :)..this dish is new to me...its great that you gave step by step pictures... :)

    ReplyDelete
  45. Thank you cookeaze for dropping by.
    Thanks Shama, nandini, lena, preeti,Suneetha,s.
    Ramya thanks for appreciating my efforts.

    ReplyDelete
  46. Comfort meal!! i never knew that makai roti has grated radish in it, hmm sounds delicious!!

    ReplyDelete
  47. I really like greens, though I have not eaten mustard greens before. This looks very very good, Pari. I am sure I would like it!

    You asked about Grape Nuts on a recipe I had posted. It is an brand of cereal that has been around as long as I can remember. Out of the box, it is hard little nuggets )of wheat)
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grape-Nuts

    I can remember my grandmother always having it in her cabinet as she was a bit of a health nut, grins. I don't care for it directly out of the box as the nuggets are uncomfortably hard to chew, and instead cook them with hot milk, or in the case of my recipe in a pudding, where those little nuggets are nicely softened and sweetened.

    Thanks for the question!

    Blessings.

    ReplyDelete
  48. Hi,
    thx for visiting my blog ! now coming to your question regarding corn meal vs cornflour for baking muffins.....The cornflour which I used is I think corn meal,the packet indicates that it is milled from whole yellow corn seeds with all natural ingredients intact- the germ, bran and ensosperm. It is 100% stone ground....I think it is same as makki ka atta we get in India, but it is super fine. You really need fine flour for muffins or else they will have gritty texture. You can grind your cornmeal in a mixer for couple of times to get fine powder. Yes, Applesauce really did a good job..it not only replaces eggs , also fat! I used 1/4 cup oil instead of 1/2 cup and the muffins were super moist.

    ReplyDelete
  49. Lovely traditional recipe, a clasic.

    ReplyDelete
  50. you reminded of my hometown..i do prepare saag but never made makki di roti ..

    ReplyDelete
  51. u hav just sent me into the droolz world.pls invite me to ur home..pretty pls

    ReplyDelete
  52. Looks so delicious. Should try it sometime.

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Thanks for dropping by and giving my blog your precious time.Please do find time to write comments,as they are a source of inspiration and encouragement. I will try my level best to reply to the queries. Every word commented here means a lot to me...However, comments with backlinks and spam would be deleted immediately.