Sarson da Saag and Makki di Roti – a combination that warms my heart! Mustard greens and spinach leaves are cooked in a Punjabi style onion masala. They’re served with a soft maize flour flatbread that’s laden with butter.
The perfect tonic for cold winter months!
Note – This recipe has been updated from our recipe archives with new images and content. First published in 17 September 2012, the recipe remains the same.
Sarson da saag aur makki di roti – rustic, packed with flavour and just so so good. The two complement each other so well - peppery sarson and earthy maize balance each other out.
For me, either an Indian onion salad or chopped tomato, cucumber and onion kachumber is non-negotiable.
If you don’t have maize flour, you can also make regular whole wheat chapatti.
Another North Indian classic pairing is pav bhaji.
For a milder spinach based curry, try my palak vegetable curry.
Ingredients
Be sure to check out the full recipe and exact ingredient list below in the recipe card.
Sarso Ka Saag
Sarson – use the freshest mustard greens as possible. Wash them well as they easily trap soil and dirt.
Spinach – baby spinach or large spinach leaves both work well. Traditional recipes uses Bathua leaves, but it is not available in the UK.
Onion, garlic, ginger, green chillies - finely chop the onion. The garlic, ginger and green chillies are cooked in the pressure cooker with the greens.
Spices - Red chillies, chilli flakes, cumin seeds and hing for tadka.
Kasuri methi – commonly found in North Indian recipes and also gives a restaurant style flavour. To extract more flavour, crush the kasuri methi between your palms before adding into the dish. You’ll be amazed at the aroma.
Oil or ghee - in North India, many housholds uses mustard oil. I've used a regular oil.
Corn flour or maize flour – to help with thickening the saag.
Makki ki Roti
Maize flour – look for maize flour with a light creamy yellow colour. Note that maize flour is different to corn flour as it is whole grain. We always use fine variety of makki ka aata.
Hot water – preferably boiling water which helps with binding the gluten free maize flour. I’ve also found that it makes the roti nice and soft. It’s a similar technique that I use for bajri na rotla.
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📖 Recipe
Sarson da Saag and Makki di Roti
Ingredients
Sarson Ka Saag
- 3 bunch mustard greens
- 1 bunch spinach palak
- 4-5 garlic cloves
- 4-5 green chillies
- 2 inch ginger
- 2 -3 tablespoon maize flour corn meal/makki ka aata
- salt to taste
Tadka/Tempering
- 3 tablespoon oil or ghee
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- ½ teaspoon hing
- 1 cup onion chopped
- 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes
- 1-2 dry red chillies
- 2 teasppon kasoori methi dry fenugreek leaves
- 2 cloves garlic sliced (optional)
Makki Ki Roti
- 2 cup maize flour makki ka aata/corn meal
- 1 ¼ cup water
- ¼ teaspoon ajwain optional
- ½ teaspoon ghee
- salt
Instructions
Sarson da Saag
- Clean and wash both 3 bunch mustard greens and 1 bunch spinach thoroughly in plenty of water.
- Place the greens in a pressure cooker or Instat pot with the 4-5 garlic cloves, 4-5 green chillies, 2 inch ginger and salt to taste. Pressure cook for 3–4 whistles or 2 minutes high in Instant pot.
- Turn off the heat and allow the pressure to release naturally.
- Transfer the cooked greens to a blender and grind to a coarse paste.
- Return the bhaji to a pan and cook on low heat for about 6-8 minutes. Gradually add the 2 -3 tablespoon maize flour, a little at a time, stirring continuously so it blends in smoothly.
- Heat 3 tablespoon oil in a small pan. Add the 1 teaspoon cumin seeds and let them splutter.
- Add 2 teasppon kasoori methi, ½ teaspoon hing and 1 cup onion . Fry until the onion turns nicely browned.
- Add the 1-2 dry red chillies and 1 teaspoon red chilli flakes stir briefly, then pour this hot tempering over the saag.
- Mix well and cook for another minute or two.
- Just for a photographic purpose I have poured extra tadka using chopped 2 cloves garlic, dry chilli and cumin seeds.
- Serve hot with a knob of butter on top.
Makki di Roti
- Place 2 cup maize flour in a bowl along with ¼ teaspoon ajwain, ½ teaspoon ghee, and salt . Add 1 ¼ cup water boiling water. Mix with a fork, cover with a clean kitchen towel and leave it to cool a little (2-3 minutes).
- Knead to form a firm dough for at least 4-5 minutes. You'll see the dough gets little sticiker. The dough should be firm but pliable.
- Keep the dough covered with a damp cloth while you prepare the rotis.
- Take a small portion of dough and roll it into a ball.
- Lightly dust the dough ball with dry flour.
- Roll it out gently with a rolling pin, the roti should not be too thin.
- Cook the roti on a preheated tawa or griddle.
- Turn it over and cook the other side, then finish cooking directly over the flame if desired.
- Apply ghee or butter and serve hot withh sarson da saag.
Nutrition
PLEASE NOTE: Nutritional values are estimated by a computer and may vary based on ingredients and portion sizes. For personalised dietary advice, please consult a qualified healthcare professional.
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Hayley Dhanecha says
This is one of those recipes I keep coming back to in the colder months, with the saag turning so rich and the makki roti pairing so perfectly with it. Serving this as a full meal with a dollop of butter on top, it always feels like such a satisfying and warming plate to sit down to.
Ezcookbook says
Healthy n delicious Authentic Combo....
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divya says
Healthy , delicious and flavorful.. Love it..
Sanoli Ghosh says
Rocking combo of meal. Long time could not eat sarshon ki saag with makkai di roti, feeling hungry by seeing this tempting palatte.
Rumana Rawat says
What a superb looking saag... my all time favorite..
Hamaree Rasoi says
Wow you get makki ka atta in your nearby store. that's cool...Love this combination...
Priya Suresh says
Wat an authentic foods, this combo rocks!
Shobha says
Love this traditional Punjabi meal..
So healthy..In India we use batua instead of palak.but here I also add palak because we don't get all these rare Indian greens.