Sarson ka Saag te Makki ki Roti

Ingredients

For Sarson ka Saag

For Makki ki Roti

Directions Sarson ka Saag

Cooking the Saag

1. Roughly chop sarson (mustard leaves), palak (spinach) and bathua (fenugreek leaves) and discard the stems. Wash them three to four times in running water. This step is important as these leaves are grown using pesticides and fertilizers. Cleaning them well would ensure there are no insects or mud in the leafy bunch.
2. Now take a pressure cooker, add the chopped sarson (mustard leaves), palak (spinach) and bathua (fenugreek leaves), cover the lid and allow it to get pressure cooked.
3. After 5 to 6 whistles, remove the lid, cook the same on slow flame for 15-20 minutes.
4. Now at this point add half glass of boiling water if you find the leaves too dry and let it cook again for 20 minutes.
5. After this add 1 cup makki ka aata (maize flour) and mix thoroughly. This step is very crucial as maize flour helps in binding the leaves together.
6. Cook again for 10-15 minutes.
7. In order to enhance the taste, blend 50 gm green chillies and add to the leafy mixture.
8. At this point, one can choose to blend the saag to make a paste but it tastes best if churned for about 5 minutes with a wooden churner (also called madhani in Punjabi).

Tempering

1. Take a deep pan and heat 2-3 tbsp ghee.
2. Add 1-2 finely chopped onions, saute for 1-2 minutes until they turn translucent.
3. Add ginger and garlic paste. Once golden brown, add roasted cumin powder.
4. Add salt as required.
5. Now add the leafy mix into the tempering. Be careful as the mix will splatter a lot.
6. Mix well.
7. Saag is ready to be served.

In a typical Punjabi household, it is said that saag tastes best if it is a day or two old. One can also store saag without tempering for upto one week.

Makki ki Roti

Preparing the dough

1. Take maize flour and add 1-2 pinch salt or as required.
2. Add lukewarm warm to roughly knead a dough.
3. Leave aside for 30 mins.
4. Knead the dough smoothly and if it feels dry then add more water but keep it firm. .
5. After this, make medium sized balls.
6. Now it is advised to make maize flour chapati/makki ki roti by patting the dough as it tends to crack with a rolling pin.
7. Gently press and pat the dough using fingers. Move it clockwise as you press the dough and add flour if it feels sticky.
8. Please note that the maize chapati should not be thin but moderately thick as it might completely crack while removing from the rolling board.

Preparing the rotis

1. Heat a griddle and spread some ghee on it.
2. Gently put the chapati on the griddle. At this point, if you see cracks on the edges, pat them using wet fingers.
3. Flip the chapati a couple of times and once it turns golden brown you will know that the chapati is ready.
4. Generously apply ghee on chapati.
5. Makki ki Roti is ready to be served.