Baby Sarson (Baby Mustard Greens ~ Japanese Variety)
“Mustard greens originated in the Himalayan region of India and have been grown and consumed for more than 5,000 years. Mustard greens are a notable vegetable in many different cuisines, ranging from Chinese to Southern American. Like turnip greens, they may have become an integral part of Southern cuisine during the times of slavery, serving as a substitute for the greens that were an essential part of Western African foodways. While India, Nepal, China and Japan are among the leading producers of mustard greens, a significant amount of mustard greens are grown in the United States as well.”
– Says the WHFoods, a website which provides unbiased scientific information on nutrient-rich World’s Healthiest Foods. If you think history of this green leafy vegetable is impressive, check out the detailed nutritional information listed. It has antioxidants like Vitamins A, C, E to mineral – Magnesium, that would help to deal with lung problems (asthma) etc, – almost everything that a health(label) conscious person desires in a vegetable. Not only that mustard seeds (aavaalu) that we use regularly in our tadka and mustard oil comes from this vegetable.
When it comes to cooking mustard greens, the famous Punjabi’s ‘Sarson da Saag’, is THE recipe. Mustard Greens (Sarson Patta in Hindi), spinach and paneer along with traditional Indian seasoning are all cooked together. Like Punjabis, the end result is attractive and vibrant – in a nutshell, wholesome food experience. Give it a try!
Fresh Baby Mustard Greens, Spinach, Onion, Ginger, Garlic, Cashews, Paneer, Green Chilli
Recipe:
1 bunch fresh, baby Sarson (mustard greens)- chopped
1 bunch fresh spinach – chopped
10 green chillies – small Indian variety
1 small onion – finely chopped
1 tsp of ginger-garlic paste
1 tsp of cccc powder (cumin-coriander-clove-cinnamon) or garam masala
15 cashews – roasted and powdered
15 paneer cubes – grilled or pan-fried to light gold
Limejuice to taste or 2 tablespoons
Turmeric and salt to taste or ½ tsp each
1. In a big skillet, heat a teaspoon of ghee. Add and saute the sarson, spinach and green chillies. Within 2 to 3 minutes, the leaves start to wilt and come together. Turn off the heat and remove them to a plate. Let cool and then take them in a blender or food processor. Grind to coarse paste by adding a pinch of salt.
2. In the same skillet, add and heat a teaspoon of ghee. Add and saute onions to gold color. Add and fry ginger-garlic paste for few seconds. Add pureed sarson-spinach-green chilli and half cup of water. Stir in cashew powder, garam masala, turmeric and salt. Mix thoroughly. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes on medium-low heat. Before turning off the heat, add paneer cubes and sprinkle in limejuice.
Serve hot. Tastes great with rice and roti or chapatis.
Sarson da Saag with Chapatis.
I purchased these fresh, baby mustard greens from an Asian grocery shop (Uwajimaya).
Recipe adapted from: Basant. I have added cashews to bring some nutty sweetness to the curry.
Yay.. Sarson da saag.. sounds and looke delicious. Will definitely try this out.. Thank you Indira for the recipe.
Comment by Pavani — November 6, 2006 @ 5:00 pm
nice recipe as ever. so sad, we don’t get these leaves in our store here.
Comment by lakshmi — November 6, 2006 @ 6:43 pm
There you go, Indira!! The evergreen & evertasty Sarson da saag!!Looks very yummy!!
Alas, I dont get these in the stores i have been to here. However, will do a check again in the rest of the Indian/Asian grocery stores out here.May be, i can get lucky!:)
Like always,you have published a very interesting and informative matter,something I have never known about Mustard Greens.
Keep up the excellent work!
Comment by Deepu — November 6, 2006 @ 7:15 pm
Wow! The vibrant green of the saag is so enticing! A must must try, if I can find some sarson, that is! Amazing pictures as usual 🙂
Comment by RD — November 6, 2006 @ 7:25 pm
Hmm…simply delicious.I am waiting for the atmoshpere to chill a bit here then I am going to make it.Thanks Indira!It looks wonderful
Comment by madhuli — November 6, 2006 @ 9:23 pm
I don’t often find the baby mustard leaves, so I use the big ones and cook it in a pressure cooker with the spinach, and then grind.
This is a yummy winter meal.
Comment by Diane — November 6, 2006 @ 10:14 pm
Hi Indira
Very nice dish and good write up. Thanks for sharing.
Viji
Comment by viji — November 6, 2006 @ 10:23 pm
Hi Indira,
Sarson ka saag looks excellent..Will HAVE to make this now.
BTW,I finally figured out how to add other blogs to my blog.so added yours to mine too.Hope you don’t mind.
Comment by Vinaya — November 7, 2006 @ 2:36 am
Indira,
I have never heard of this or seen it. I guess I am going to keep an eye out for this next time I’m at the asian green grocer so I can try it out! 🙂
Comment by Praveena — November 7, 2006 @ 2:52 am
Yum! I love spinach and paneer! This looks delicious! Cheers, Heather
Comment by The Culinary Chase — November 7, 2006 @ 4:38 am
This looks absolutely wonderful!
Comment by Beenzzz — November 7, 2006 @ 6:28 am
Looks fantastic Indira! Alas, all I can get here are the large mustard greens, but I am tempted to try out your recipe with those.
On another note, I just came back from a shopping trip with fresh baby spinach! yay…spinach is back…boy I have missed it more that I would have thought! 🙂
cheers!
Comment by Saffron Hut — November 7, 2006 @ 9:47 am
Must look for the mustard greens soon. Can’t wait to make this dish.
Comment by Lakshmiammal — November 7, 2006 @ 9:53 am
Hi Indira,
I was delighted by your pix of the Mustard Greens yesterday. Sarson Saag is such a gourmet delight. Very refresing from having the usual Palak Saag 🙂
Thanks for the beautiful pic.
Sangeeta
Comment by Sangeeta — November 7, 2006 @ 10:02 am
Hi Indira
The recipe seems to be really an easy one. Sure, I am going to get mustard greens and try out the recipe.
Comment by Lux — November 7, 2006 @ 6:19 pm
Hi! It’s looking delicious. I feel like eating. It goes well with makkai ki roti.
Comment by Manju Bansal — November 8, 2006 @ 2:27 am
As usual you have great pictures, it looks yummy!
Do you know what they call Mustard Greens in Telugu? I end up trying to make this using Palak and end up with Palak Paneer.
Comment by Keerthi — November 8, 2006 @ 4:57 am
Great recipe! Where do you find mustard greens in Seattle? We live in Redmond.
Comment by Mira — November 8, 2006 @ 12:36 pm
Hi tried this one out.. never added lime juice before.
relly nice. thanks..
Comment by abhi — November 15, 2006 @ 7:17 pm
Hi Indira,
I saw a leafy green vegetable at Meijer under ‘Mustard Greens’ and picked it up. On close inspection, it looks different from ur pic above and says ‘Curly mustard’ on the tag. Do you think I can try this dish with it?
Thanks in advance!
Supriya
Comment by Supriya H — December 5, 2006 @ 7:09 pm
Hi, Indira.
I’ve made this recipe several times, and just love it. This time I replaced the water with skim milk, and ended up with the most delicious concoction. Thanks!
Natasha
Comment by Natasha — February 18, 2007 @ 12:14 pm
Hello Indira Garu,
Great website, and amazing recipes! Not a single day passes by without me visiting your website atleast a few times. It’s truly inspiring.
I had a question, I hope you would be able to answer. I wanted to cook sarson ka saag. I was wondering if the leaves that originate by planting mustard seeds are the “mustard greens”. I ask this because I couldn’t find mustard greens in the grocery store.
Please let me know and keep up the great work!
Lakshmi
Comment by Lakshmi — October 4, 2007 @ 4:01 am
loved when my mom used to make it yummy/healthy) had no idea it was this easy!!figured it was some mysterious complicated recipe SUBSTITUTE:
1. Frozen (mustard) Greens-boxes or bags are everywhere
2.tofu or fresh mozzarella cubes since i cant make the ‘paneer’-turns out AMAZING 🙂
Comment by anju — November 12, 2007 @ 12:53 am
I love this website. I am beginner in cooking and I religiously follow these recipes and measures. The results are overwhelming. Last week I tried the baingan curry with ground garbanzo beans. It was so awesome. Thank you very much.
Comment by Janani — November 30, 2007 @ 3:00 pm
I love saag of any description! Great photo’s!
Cheers,
Heather
Comment by The Culinary Chase — January 9, 2008 @ 2:19 am
[…] For the rest of the meal, I decided on Sarson da Saag (mustard greens, spinach, paneer), accompanies by a simple blackeye pea salad. […]
Pingback by mmm… food… » Sarson da Saag (Mustard greens, Spinach & Paneer) — March 29, 2008 @ 11:31 am
[…] For the rest of the meal, I decided on Sarson da Saag (mustard greens, spinach, paneer), accompanies by a simple blackeye pea salad. […]
Pingback by Let me tell you, internets… » Simple, delicious Indian eats. — March 30, 2008 @ 8:11 pm
Hi Indira,
My kids favorite dish, and I don’t know how to make this in a simple way, finally got your recipe very simple and good .Thanks a lot.
Comment by Suseela — May 28, 2008 @ 1:55 pm
[…] Sarson da saag (mustard greens with spinach and paneer) from Mahanandi is a spiced-up alternative to the Indian buffet favorite saag paneer, with a relatively short cook time to preserve the green flavor. Serve with rice or chapatis for a tasty light dinner. Another greened-up version of a classic, this kale frittata from Too Many Chefs is at its finest (and easiest) when made with young greens. Add a rustic roll and a salad of spicy young arugula for a filling springtime feast—and frittata leftovers are tasty cold, so they’re perfect for tomorrow’s packed lunch. […]
Pingback by Good Right Now: Sweet Baby Greens « Feast: Food + Entertaining — April 7, 2010 @ 7:31 am
Dear Indira, I did make this yesterday and substituted with frozen spinach and tofu. It came out so delicious and yummy! We both did enjoy a lot. Thanks so much for sharing such a beautiful and simple recipe. I’ve posted in my blog today. You can see here
I am happy to read that you tried and liked this recipe, dear Sonia. Your Palak da Saag with pulao and paratha looks really delicious! Appreciate the feedback. Thanks.
-Indira
Comment by Sonia — May 18, 2010 @ 8:03 pm
[…] by Sonia on May 19, 2010 in Gravy Hello there! If you are new here, you might want to subscribe to the RSS feed for updates on this blog. Thank you. This recipe was created on just sudden whim. When I saw this dish at Indira’ blog, I made up my mind to make it with available substitutes on hand. I had been meaning to prepare something for Nupur’s current MBP Adaption event and here what I prepared something different ‘Palak Da Saag’. Yeah, because I hardly find mustard greens here or I would have to go far asian grocery store. As I mentioned earlier, this idea just popped in my mind abruptly and decided to make with available substitutes. To the truth, I have had prepared this Sarson Palak Da Saag nth times but most of the time I used spinach instead. And seriously, we don’t find any difference in taste. Sometimes I use frozen spinach for faster version. The end result was truly delicious and aromatic Palak Da Saag. Thank you Indira for sharing such a simple yet beautiful recipe. […]
Pingback by Palak Da Saag with Tofu — September 10, 2010 @ 5:43 am
wonderful..
Comment by shruti — November 10, 2011 @ 2:37 pm