Best Indian Saag Recipes

INDIAN SAAG

Steps:

• In a large skillet or wok, melt butter over medium-high heat, and cook and stir cumin seed, chile pepper, garlic, and turmeric until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Stir in the chopped mustard greens and spinach a little at a time, adding the tougher parts first (the stems and thicker leaves). Continue to add greens, and cook and stir until all greens have been added and all are thoroughly wilted. Stir in the cumin, coriander, and salt. Cover; reduce heat and simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes, adding water as needed to keep the greens moist.

SAAG (INDIAN SPINACH)

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, saute onion in oil on medium high along with ginger and garam masala until onions are translucent and begin to pick up some color.
• Add minced garlic to pan, and cook briefly to soften. Do not allow the garlic to burn - lower heat if necessary.
• Add tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes. Incidentally, you can add a little more or less tomato depending on what you have available, slight differences in quantity will not be noticeable.
• Stir in yogurt. Do not worry if the yogurt separates.
• Add curry powder, coriander, cumin, sugar, and salt.
• Add bag of frozen spinach and mix well to combine. There is no need to defrost first if you use a the bagged spinach. If you are using the frozen block, I would advise defrosting first. You can also use the equivalent of fresh spinach.
• Add about a cup of water to the pot and cover. Simmer on medium for approximately 30 minutes. Spinach is done when the color has changed from the initial bright green to a much less vibrant green (almost brownish). If you crank up the heat, it is possible to cook this a little faster, but you have to pay attention to the moisture level. You may have to add more water throughout the cooking process if it cooks off.
• Once the spinach is fully cooked, remove the lid and cook off any remaining liquid. The spinach should be moist, but there should not be much liquid free in the bottom of the pan.
• Remove pan from heat.
• Using an immersion blender, blender, or food processor, puree the spinach. Leave it as chunky as you like. You can also choose to puree only half of the mixture if you like bigger pieces of spinach.
• Add further salt to taste.
• I have found that I have to fine tune the spices every time I make this dish depending on how I feel that day. For me, adding further small amounts of coriander is the key.
• If you like, potatoes, paneer cubes or chick peas may be added at this point.
• ***NOTE*** It is very helpful to prepare all ingredients in advance of cooking so that they can be added quickly during the cooking process. I recommend combining the components of each step beforehand (i.e. pre-measuring the spices together) so that you can just dump everything in quickly as you go.

INDIAN CHICKEN SAAG

Steps:

• Drizzle chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Season with 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon coriander, 1 teaspoon garam masala, salt, and pepper.
• Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook and stir until nicely browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from the skillet.
• Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a separate pan over medium heat. Add spinach and season with salt; cook, covered, until spinach is wilted, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Heat butter in the same skillet used for chicken over medium-high heat. Saute onion and a pinch of salt in the hot pan until onion has softened, stirring to pick up browned bits left from the chicken, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, chile peppers, and ginger; cook for 1 to 2 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Add curry leaves, cardamom pods, mustard seed, and turmeric; cook and stir for 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and continue to cook, 1 to 2 minutes. Add tomato sauce, honey, and sauteed spinach; reduce heat to low.
• Blend sauce mixture in the skillet using an immersion blender until smooth. Continue to let simmer, 10 to 20 minutes.
• Remove from heat. Add chicken and stir in paneer and heavy cream.

SAAG TOFU (INDIAN TOFU WITH SPINACH)

Steps:

• Cut tofu into thirds lengthwise and eighths crosswise. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring gently every 2 to 3 minutes, until browned on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
• Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan and reduce heat to medium. Add onion, garlic, ginger and mustard seeds and cook until the onion is translucent, 4 to 6 minutes. Add spinach in batches small enough to fit in the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until all the spinach has been added and has wilted, 4 to 6 minutes more.
• Meanwhile, combine yogurt, curry powder, cumin and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt in a small bowl. Add to the pan along with the tofu and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes.

SAAG PANEER (PANIR) - INDIAN SPINACH AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Fry the onions, garlic, ginger and spices in oil for around 5 minutes.
• Add the chopped tomatoes and continue to cook for another 5 minutes, making sure the heat is down to a simmer.
• Add the spinach and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes.
• Add the paneer and yogurt and simmer for around 5 minutes.

SARSON KA SAAG (INDIAN MUSTARD GREENS)

Steps:

• Place the chiles into a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the chiles turn dark red-brown in color and give off their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool, and remove stems of chiles; shake out the seeds, and tear the flesh of the roasted chiles into pieces. Set aside.
• Place the spinach into a saucepan over medium heat; place mustard greens into a separate saucepan. If leaves are dry, mix in 1 or 2 of tablespoons of water. If leaves are still wet, just cover the pans and simmer the greens until tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Place greens together into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to break up the greens, then process to a paste, about 1 minute.
• Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the cumin seeds, stirring for about 30 seconds or until the seeds sizzle and turn a darker brown color. Mix in the onion, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, and mix in the roasted peppers, ginger paste, garlic paste, and tomato. Mix in the pureed greens, bring to a simmer, and stir in salt and sugar to taste. If dish is too thick, mix in up to about 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the greens are the desired thickness.

NORTH INDIAN SAAG CHOLE (CHICKPEAS AND GREENS)

Steps:

• Wash mustard greens and spinach until all dirt is gone. Trim and remove all fibrous material, then chop greens and set aside.
• Bring 2 cups water and salt to a boil in a large stockpot. Add mustard greens, spinach, cabbage, and broccoli; cook over medium-high heat until soft, about 10 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender until smooth and creamy.
• Combine 1/2 cup water and corn flour in a bowl to make a runny paste with no lumps. Add it to pureed greens and mix until well combined.
• Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes. Mixture should be a medium consistency and not too runny; add more water if too thick.
• Heat oil in a pot over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, then add onions and garlic. Saute until onions are translucent, about 8 minutes.
• Add tomatoes, chile pepper, coriander, and ginger. Season with salt to taste. Add chickpeas and cook until heated through, about 5 minutes. Gradually stir in cooked greens.

SAAG (INDIAN-STYLE KALE AND SPINACH)

Steps:

• Combine kale and spinach in a large soup pot over low heat. Cook just until wilted, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer greens to a blender a little at a time. Blend until finely shredded, but not pureed, adding a small amount of water if needed.
• Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, serrano chile pepper, ginger, and garlic. Cook until onion is medium brown, about 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin, garam masala, and cayenne pepper. Cook for about 1 minute more. Add kale mixture and salt and stir thoroughly. Bring to a low boil, reduce heat, and simmer 5 more minutes.

INDIAN SAAG PANEER (LOW FAT CHEESE WITH SPINACH)

Steps:

• Use cooking spray and heat garlic and ginger over medium-high heat till golden brown.
• Stir in tomato sauce, coriander, cumin, pepper, masala, salt, and reduce heat to low. Partially cover and summer for 8-9 minutes stirring frequently.
• Stir in spinach. Simmer 8-10 minutes until spinach turns olive green.
• Stir in whipping cream.
• Stir in cheese. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until cheese is hot and remove from stove.

INDIAN STYLE SPINACH WITH FRESH CHEESE (SAAG PANEER) - COOK'S IL

Steps:

• Line a colander with a triple layer of cheesecloth and set in sink. Bring milk to boil in large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Whisk in buttermilk and salt and remove from heat. Let stand 1 minute. Pour through cheesecloth let drain 15 minutes.
• Pull together edges of cheesecloth to form pouch. Twist pouch, extracting as much liquid as possible. Place pouch between two plates and set a heavy pot on the top plate. Let stand at room temperature 45 minutes, or until cheese is firm and set. Drain whey as often as necessary. (Cheese can be wrapped in plastic and refrigerated up to 3 days at this point.) Unwrap and dice cheese into 1/2" pieces.
• Place spinach in large bowl and microwave on high until wilted, about 3 minutes. Let cool until it can be handled.
• Chop enough spinach to make 1/2 cup and set aside. Place remaining spinach in blender container.
• Wilt mustard greens in same bowl in microwave, about 4 minutes. Let it cool until it can be handled.
• Chop enough mustard greens to make 1/2 cup and set aside with chopped spinach. Add remaining mustard greens to blender container.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds, coriander, paprika, cardamom, and cinnamon, and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add onion and 3/4 tsp salt; cook until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, and jalapeno, and cook, stirring often, until lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook until pan is dry and tomatoes are beginning to brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat and transfer half the mixture to the blender.
• Add half the cashews and all the water to the blender. Process on high until smooth, about 1 minute. Add puree to skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add reserved greens and buttermilk and bring to simmer. Reduce to low, cover, and cook until flavors blend, about 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Gently fold in cheese cubes and cook until hot, 1-2 minutes. Serve sprinkled with remaining cashews and cilantro.

SARSON KA SAAG (INDIAN MUSTARD GREENS)

Steps:

• Place the chiles into a dry skillet over medium heat, and cook and stir until the chiles turn dark red-brown in color and give off their fragrance, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Remove from heat, allow to cool, and remove stems of chiles; shake out the seeds, and tear the flesh of the roasted chiles into pieces. Set aside.
• Place the spinach into a saucepan over medium heat; place mustard greens into a separate saucepan.
• If leaves are dry, mix in 1 or 2 of tablespoons of water.
• If leaves are still wet, just cover the pans and simmer the greens until tender, about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.
• Place greens together into the work bowl of a food processor, and pulse several times to break up the greens, then process to a paste, about 1 minute.
• Heat ghee in a large saucepan over medium heat, and stir in the cumin seeds, stirring for about 30 seconds or until the seeds sizzle and turn a darker brown color.
• Mix in the onion, cook and stir until lightly browned, about 3 minutes, and mix in the roasted peppers, ginger paste, garlic paste, and tomato.
• Mix in the pureed greens, bring to a simmer, and stir in salt and sugar to taste.
• If dish is too thick, mix in up to about 1/4 cup of water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the greens are the desired thickness.

SAAG GOSH (INDIAN LAMB STEW)

Steps:

• Heat water and onion in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions for five minutes.
• Add garlic and sauté for another minute. Add another tablespoon of water if the skillet becomes too dry.
• Add meat and brown on all sides for about one minute.
• Add tomato, spinach and spices. Cover and cook for five minutes.
• Remove lid. Cook for another five minutes, uncovered.
• Stir in butter until melted and salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve over rice.

SAAG PANNER OR ALOO SAAG (AKA SPINACH W/ CHEESE OR POTATES INDIAN STYLE)

Steps:

• 1. Stem and thoroughly wash spinach. 2. Set up steamer basket with spinach, fenugreek and peppers. Bring water to a boil and steam for 15 minutes. Alternative if you don't have a streamer is to boil ingredients in 2 inches of water. Be sure to save a small amount of water once greens are wilted. 3. Place wilted greens and peppers in food processor and rough pulse chop OR chop very finely by hand ensuring that you don't spill the water coming off the greens. 4. Transfer processed greens and peppers to bowl and mix in cornmeal. If mixture is very thick use a little of the water from steaming to thin it out. You don't want it to be runny, but it should not be super thick either. Set aside. 5. Chop onion, tomato and ginger. All spices can be combined as they will be add together. Items will be added fast to best to have everything prepped in advance. 6. Add 2-3 tablespoons of peanut oil to large skillet or wok and heat on medium high heat. 7. Add onion and saute until clear and browned on the edges. 8. Add ginger and saute for 1 minute. 9. Add tomato and saute until juice reduces slightly, approx 3 minutes 10. Add spinach mixture and all spices. Stir together and stir everything occasionally on medium low heat for 5 minutes.. 11. Add cubed paneer or cooked potato. 12. Cook for 5-10 minutes more. Serve over brown rice.

SAAG ALOO (INDIAN POTATOES WITH SPINACH)

Steps:

• In a medium-sized pot, bring 2 quarts of salted water to a boil. Peel and cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces, add them to the boiling water and cook for about 7 minutes. Remove them from the heat, drain and set aside.
• Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the parboiled potatoes for about 8-12 minutes they begin to brown; remove them from the pan and set aside.
• Turn down the heat; add the onions and pepper and sauté for a few minutes until limp.
• If using *chicken* variation, add it now. Then add the spices and sauté for 2 minutes
• Add the lemon juice and water and simmer for a few minutes more. Add the spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until the spinach is fully wilted.
• Add the potatoes back to the skillet and mix well. Serve hot.

SAAG INDIAN SPINACH

Steps:

• Defrost spinach. Put onion, garlic, and ginger in a blender with a little water and blend to a paste. Heat oil in a pan, add cumin, and let this turn golden-brown over medium heat. Add turmeric and the spinach. Stir for 5 minutes and add the coriander and tomato puree. Let the spinach cook for about 20 minutes on medium heat. Add the garam masala and the light cream to finish this dish.

INDIAN SAAG

Steps:

• In a large skillet or wok, melt butter over medium high heat and cook and stir cumin seed, chile pepper, garlic and tumeric until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir in the chopped mustard greens and spinach a little at a time, adding the tougher parts first. Continue to add greens and cook and stir until all greens have been added and all are thoroughly wilted. Stir in the ground cumin, coriander and salt. Cover; reduce heat a simmer until greens are tender, about 10 minutes, adding water s needed to keep the greens moist.