Sarson ka Saag
This Indian vegetarian builds spinach, green chillies and ground coriander into a crowd-pleasing meal you can have ready in about 65 minutes. Below: the ingredients split into pantry staples and a quick shopping list, a built-in serving scaler, and the method in 6 steps.
You'll mainly reach for frying pan / skillet and pan. At medium difficulty across 6 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Shopping list (4)
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
🔁 Unit converter
How to make it
- Wash the mustard greens and spinach thoroughly, discard tough stalks, and chop roughly.
- Put the greens in a large pot with the green chillies, half the ginger, a little salt and about 250 ml water, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until completely tender.
- Blend or mash the cooked greens to a coarse puree, then return to the pot, sprinkle in the maize flour, and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring often so it thickens and the flour cooks through.
- Meanwhile heat the ghee in a small pan and fry the finely chopped onion for 6 to 8 minutes until golden, then add the garlic and remaining grated ginger and cook for 2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir the ground coriander and chilli powder into the tempering for 30 seconds, then pour it into the simmering saag and mix well.
- Continue cooking for another 10 minutes to marry the flavours, adjust the salt, and serve topped with a knob of butter alongside makki di roti.
You'll use: Frying pan / skillet · Pan · Large pot · Saucepan · Blender
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
What to serve with Sarson ka Saag
- Aloo Gobi Vegan
- Butter Chicken Chicken
- Chana Masala Vegan
- Gulab Jamun Dessert
Tips & common questions
How long does Sarson ka Saag take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 6 steps and 12 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is Sarson ka Saag vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat or fish, so it's suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheeses for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Sarson ka Saag is an original Indian recipe developed in-house by Consomee. Photo: Sarson da saag.JPG by SwingingUvula, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure on top — how we source recipes.