Friday, February 4, 2011

Makki Ki Roti aur Sarson Ka Saag...winter special!!

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I am neither a punjabi nor a north Indian to claim that makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is staple at our home but I absolutely love this combination and is also hubby's favorite as he was brought up in Delhi and was pampered with these delicacies .There are few killer combos in each regional cuisine which makes the meal very special to eat, be it 'Idli-Vada-Sambar' from south or humble 'Khichdi-Kadhi' and 'Dal-Baati-Churma' from west or 'Chole-Batura','Rajma-Chawal' and 'Sarson Ka saag -Makki ki roti' from north.These are the well known combinations that make different regions in India, proud of their cuisine.

In south, we don't get these greens, so never got to taste it, but in Mumbai we get them in winter. My husband and MIL though say that the greens that we get here in Mumbai are not as flavorful as what they used to get in Delhi. I learnt this recipe from my MIL who stayed in Delhi for almost thirty years but when she made it, she pressure cooked the greens for over seven whistles, which in fact made the saag, lose its beautiful luscious green color- admit though that the taste was nice.I tweaked the recipe a bit to suit my taste. I just blanched the leaves, like how I do for any other greens and added spices which suits my taste buds. Traditionally, Makki ki roti is made of makki ki atta and salt and since I like the radish flavor, I added it to the atta - Got this inspiration from our fellow bloggers.Do try this combo if you have'nt tried so far,I assure you that you will definitely enjoy it.

Sarson Ka Saag:


Ingredients:
1 bunch Mustard greens(Sarson leaves,approx 5-6 cups)
a small bunch of Batua(approx 2 cups)
a small bunch of Spinach(approx 1 cup)
2 onions,finely chopped
2 tsp ginger,finely chopped
2 tsp garlic,finely chopped
2 tbsp fine corn meal(Makki ki atta)
2 tsp coriander powder
5-6 green chilies,roughly chopped
1 slit green chili
1/2 tsp jeera
juice of 1/2 lemon(optional)
salt to taste
2 tsp oil
2 tsp ghee
1 tsp fresh butter for serving

Method:
  • Wash thoroughly all the greens in water and let the extra water drain through a sieve.Separate out the tender stalks from the leaves of mustard greens and chop them finely.Chop all the leaves of sarson,batua and spinach and keep them separately aside.
  • Bring approximately 8-10 cups of water to a boil in a big pot,add a tsp of oil and add the mustard greens and let it cook for 4-5 mins.Do not cover the vessel with lid otherwise you will loose the beautiful green color of the greens.Now add chopped batua,spinach leaves and green chillies and cook for another 2-3 mins until the leaves are tender.
  • Strain the greens through a sieve and quickly run the cooked greens under fresh water which again helps in retaining the color of the greens.Squeeze the greens slightly and grind it into a coarse puree,do not grind it to a smooth paste.
  • In a thick kadai heat 2tsp of each oil and ghee/butter and crackle jeera,add finely chopped ginger and garlic and fry till slightly brown and add chopped onions and fry until brown.
  • Add coriander powder and makki ki atta and fry for some time.
  • Add the ground puree and add enough water and salt to get the required consistency.Do not cover the lid while cooking,it helps in retaining the color of the greens.When the fat gets separated switch off the flame.
Add a dollop of fresh butter and squeeze in lemon juice to it before serving.

Note:
  1. I add fried paneer pieces or the fried alu cubes to the gravy for a variation sometimes.
  2. You can even add the seasonal turnips,chopped while cooking the gravy.
  3. You can add a tadka of red chili powder to the gravy to give the dhaba style touch.
  4. For a Vegan version avoid butter/ghee in the recipe.
Makki Ki Roti:

Ingredients:
2 cups makki ki atta(fine corn meal)
a handful of wheat flour(optional)
2 tsp chopped coriander
1 tsp green chillies,finely chopped
1/2 cup grated radish
salt to taste
fresh butter to serve
makki ki atta or wheat flour for rolling
hot water to make the dough

Method:
  • In a big bowl add makki ki atta,wheat flour and salt and mix to a form a uniform mixture.
  • Add chopped green chillies,coriander,grated radish and mix well.Add enough hot water to it and make a dough out of it and knead properly.
  • Take a lemon sized ball of it and flatten it using a rolling pin to a form a 6" roti of medium thickness.You can even follow the traditional process of patting and moving over the flour or even rolling in between two greased plastic sheets.I opted to use a rolling pin as it was not that difficult to roll.
  • Fry it on both sides until crisp and brush with butter generously.
Serve with a dollop of butter on it with sarson ka saag,pickle,lemon and salad.

Notes:
  1. Traditionally,makki ki roti is made with just makki ki atta and salt,the addition of other ingredients are truly optional.As I like the flavor of mooli I generally add it to the dough.
  2. For a Vegan version avoid butter while serving.It tastes still good.

40 comments:

Pari Vasisht said...

hi. Love this combo anytime. Love the green colour of the saag.

FOODELICIOUS

Hamaree Rasoi said...

I tried in vain to find this saag in bangalore but failed :-( Tastes awesome ....This bright green color of saag is tempting me to have some right now

Deepa
Hamaree Rasoi

divya said...

looks tempting and delicious ....happy to follow u..

Jeyashris Kitchen said...

very new recipe to me.I never tasted both the roti and saag.but have heard about that great combo.

Savi-Ruchi said...

Same pinch!, even though I am not a Punjabi, I love them. We used to normally have it in a restaurant near Commerical street in Bangalore. They serve tasty saag & makki di roti :)

Reva said...

lovely lovely combo dish....
Reva

Laavanya said...

I love sarson ka saag but have not had the chance to try with makki roti before. Looks so good!

Unknown said...

Apt combination, looks super healthy n tasty

Ramya said...

Great combo and love the colors:-)

Indian Khana said...

Ohh looks very yummy ...perfect combo ..drooling here ..just need a glass of lassi :)

swapna said...

Lovely Combo...Delicious and tempting!!

Priya Suresh said...

Prefect pairs, both together looks truly fantastic..

Unknown said...

Perfect winter special Prathibha both looks fantastic.. mouthwatering..

Harika baratam said...

I too prepare radish paratha for a change but this method looks easy and tasty nice recipe prathy...

Santosh Bangar said...

i am punjabi and make this comnation oftenly but see ur pic i tnk u are better cook than me roti i so smooth an colour of saag is green as ur MILwe also cookit for more time an it taste different
tempting saag!!!!!!!!!!

Pavithra Elangovan said...

OMG prathy I love this soooooooooooo much.. Seriously I am going to do this 1 or 2 days I am very much tempted.

Unknown said...

very delicious combo and both dishes look soo perfect!...tempting!

aipi said...

Wow, that is sooooooo delicious looking and what a great color it has..it is a fav at our home too :)

US Masala

Preety said...

great colors..you reminded me of my home

Soumya said...

yummy and perfect combo...tempting color,mouth watering here...love to have this combo at any time...

Rachu said...

Perfect rotis and delicious curry

ammaandbaby.blogspot.com/

Eat2live2travel said...

Wow!!!! Makki di roti with sarson ka saag...my favorite...yumm...yummm

Khaugiri said...

One of the greatest combo in Indian food.....looking very tempting :-)

Pushpa said...

Great combination,they compliment each other so very well.Looks delish

Unknown said...

Drooling over the color of your sarso saag. Just beautiful.

Satrupa said...

This reminds me of the winters in India ... luv makke ki roti n sarson ka saag.

Cheers,
Satrupa

http://satrupa-foodforthought.blogspot.com

Unknown said...

WOW! They look awesome, Prathy..Perfect combo..Fabulous clicks!!

Cham said...

Actually I never tasted this one, but we find this green easily in US where I live. The pic looks awesome!

Sanyukta Gour(Bayes) said...

wow...yum n delicious...simply amazing

Priya Sreeram said...

i agree it's a killer combo-- the dish looks swell !

Raks said...

Nice combo and healthy side dish! Have tasted but never tried myself!

cookbookjaleela said...

yummy yummy

Pavithra Elangovan said...

Prathy I am going to try this today adding radish ... will get back to you tomm.

AJ said...

Beautiful roti!!

Sushma Mallya said...

Perfect combo looks mouthwatering prathibha...and congrats as well for hosting the salad event they looked yummy:)

Roopa Rajesh said...

Hey Tnx for da recipe, has come out really well. I did not get batua greens, as nobody understood it. For variation, i added chilli pdr, garam masala , for roti, came out well.

anja said...

Hi Prathy, thank you for the recipe. I had mustard greens, turnip greens and beet greens to use up and this recipe made a very savoury dish. I wrote a entry in my blog called "taming the mustard green" and mentioned your recipe: http://wp.me/pXKXG-5i
I agree- the greens are better blanched instead of boiled for an hour!

~ Lopa said...

Nice recipe, stumbbled upon your blog while searching for this.
Going to try it.

By the way 'Khichdi-Kadhi' and 'Dal-Baati-Churma'are from west part of India and not east.



chef and her kitchen said...

@Lopa Thanks for pointing it out,updated it

Anonymous said...

Thanks so much for the recipe! This looks great!

Also, thank you for posting a picture of the Batua...turns out it's a weed that grows like CRAZY in my garden really early every spring along side the mustard greens that pop up on their own.

I've always called it Lambs Quarters, but the Latin name is Chenopodium album.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chenopodium_album

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Prathy

 
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