Mixed Greens (Saag)

kusum gupta's Note:

Leafy greens are perhaps the most nutrient dense foods. This dish is very popular in North India. You can mix any greens, fresh or frozen, such as beet greens, as you like. If buying fresh greens, discard limp and yellow leaves. Remember that greens usually cook down; 1 lb. may yield less than 2 cups cooked. It can easily be made in advance and refrigerated or frozen.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 8

• 10 ounces chopped spinach (or collard greens)
• 10 ounces chopped broccoli rabe
• 20 ounces mustard greens
• ½ cup cornflour
• ½ cup green fenugreek leaves or ½ cup dried fenugreek leaves (optional)
• 1 chopped tomato
• 1 tablespoon oil

Seasonings

• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon crushed garlic
• 2 teaspoons chopped ginger
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon coriander powder
• ½ teaspoon red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. If using fresh greens, trim and remove all fibrous material, and wash in a colander immersed in a large bowl filled with water; dirt will settle down.
2. Remove the colander and throw away the water.
3. Repeat until water is clear.
4. Chop or tear the leaves and boil them in about 3 cups of water and salt, on medium to high heat, for about 10 minutes until soft.
5. When little cool, give it a few rounds in the food processor or blender to make it smooth and creamy, adding corn flour, fenugreek leaves, and tomatoes.
6. Add more water as needed.
7. Heat the oil in a 4 quart pot on medium to high heat.
8. Add garlic.
9. Add ginger, cumin powder and coriander powder.
10. Stir for a minute.
11. Stir in the cooked greens gradually (making sure there are no lumps).
12. Add the remaining seasonings.
13. Cook, stirring occasionally, and let it simmer for 20 minutes until everything is mixed and Saag is to your taste.

Reviews

[Charishma_Ramchandani]

WOW! This was dinner tonight with naan and it was awesome! I less than halved the recipe. I used 100 gms. spinach, 200 gms. broccoli florets(chopped), 200 gms. mustard leaves, 1 medium tomato, 1/2 tbsp. oil, 1/4 cup cornflour and 1/4 cup dried fenugreek leaves(kasoori methi). I halved all the seasoning ingredients. I boiled the fresh green leaves(spinach and mustard) in 1.5 cups of water to which I'd added 1 tsp. of salt. Rest about everything was perfect. The dish was a beautiful dark green(Christmas green!) colour. We loved it. Thank you for posting this especially this time of the year when it's so cold and saag is something we must have. Thank you so much. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

[Shalabhanjika]

This recipe is truly delicious. My husband, who is a chef, was raving about the way it made the house smell as soon as he walked in the door. Healthy, easy, and so tasty! I used dried fenugreek leaves, 16 oz. turnip greens, 16 oz. mustard greens, and about 8 oz. spinach, all frozen. I kept the ginger in good-sized pieces, and doubled the chili powder. I thought that the spices wouldn't be enough for this huge pot of greens, but it is perfect! I also used a hand blender. Definitely a keeper. My husband mixed leftovers with plain yogurt and Sriracha for a dip, too.

[ArieCat]

Not sure why mine didn't work out as well as others'... I followed the recipe exactly. But the spices were overwhelming with mine. I'm going to try it again later, but cut down on the spices a little.