Dubai: ‘Sarso ka saag te makke ki roti’ is not just a dish, it is an emotion. In the South Asian language Punjabi, this dish translates to mustard leaves cooked in spices and served with bread made with maize flour. To make it into a meal, add makhan or fresh white butter, jaggery and lassi, a sweet yoghurt-based drink.
A winter staple in many Indian and Pakistani homes, UAE-based expatriates from both countries have fond memories of this dish. Nabeela Tabassum, a Pakistani expatriate from Sialkot who has lived in the UAE for 37 years, shared with Gulf News Food team that she has been eating sarso ka saag since childhood, and it happens to be an evergreen dish. She said: "Expats are known to place orders from abroad; saag is treated as a gift. They freeze it after cooking it, and then it's shipped to their loved ones. My mother sends it to me from Pakistan every winter." It is not just the food and flavour but also the love and labour that make this dish so special.
Many have grown up eating this dish at home. And whenever they miss home, they take out a small frozen batch, defrost it in butter and eat it with bread. Tabassum added: "People eat saag a lot during the cold winter months in Pakistan, which is between December and January. It is usually prepared at home with a mix of spinach and bathua, also known as goosefoot or wild spinach leaves cooked with green chillies and salt. They are first cooked in water on a low heat. Then they are blanched, made into a paste-like consistency with a pestle."
However, many people also make it into a paste using a blender. The greens end up tasting bland, with their mineral-rich nutrient value; therefore, the paste is spiced. According to Tabassum, chopped garlic and ginger, sautéed in butter, does the trick of adding flavour to this dish. A dish so beloved, her mother gave us a secret element to the recipe. She suggests adding a few tablespoons of all-purpose flour, while the leaves are being crushed in a pot for a creamier texture.
Sarso ka saag and makkai ki roti's popularity in the UAE
Though it is popularly paired with makki roti, made with maize flour, a winter harvest crop, it tastes just fine with any other bread. Chef Jitendra Negi, Executive Chef at Dubai-based Dhaba Lane said: "This gravy has the best form of nutrients required to keep our body temperatures warm against the chilly winds." He sees a surge in orders for this dish at his restaurant during the winter months. Though this dish is served all year round, the winter recipe is spruced up with a hint of beetroot. Many chefs and home cooks use their own spice version to alter the taste. For example, Executive Chef Sawai and Chef Jaswant at Dubai-based Sagar Ratna restaurant, said: "We do have a different recipe for making it. We add a bit of authentic Rajasthani touch to it. We use a special in-house spice mix to make the flavour a bit spicy and different from others."
According to Chef Negi, "Sarso ka saag with makki or makkai ki roti is a complete meal in itself and nutritious, especially after a long day at work. In the earlier days, a farmer's family would relish this meal. Because not only was it providing nutrients, but it also tasted good. They would use freshly plucked leafy greens from their farms and combine with cauliflower or root vegetables to balance out the bitter taste."
Owing to its origin, where gas stoves were not an option for many farmers, the dish was prepared on a small furnace made from clay. This process gave it an earthy flavour, which many eateries try to replicate these days.
This dish remains a favourite among people from all age groups. Twenty-one-year-old Emen Ali, who lives and studies between Lahore, Pakistan and the UAE, said:
Honestly, I've never had it on my own, but I've just seen it be served and hailed by my older family members. But, I have heard people describe it with words of endearment like - it tastes like love, or buttery, fresh and pure, to name a few.
She talks about how this one dish brings her family closer. "As a Pakistani, the fondest memory that I can recollect of this dish is how it is craved and spoken about with love and affection by my parents and grandparents, who especially miss eating this on a winter morning or for Friday lunches."
A warm winter dish, sarso ka saag makki or makkai ki roti unites families, cultures and inspires chefs to preserve and recreate this recipe that in unique ways that pay homage to the farmers of Punjab in both India and Pakistan.
Sarso ka Saag recipe
300 gms mustard or sarso leaves
80 gms fresh spinach
50 gms fresh methi or fenugreek leaves
50 gms fresh bathua or goosefoot or wild spinach leaves
50 gms radish leaves
100 gms onion, chopped
2 pieces of green chillies
30 gms ginger, chopped
40 gms garlic, chopped
100 gms desi ghee or clarified butter
100 gms white makhan or butter
Salt to taste
20 gms coriander powder
30 gms red chilli powder
50 gms makkai atta or maize flour
3 pieces red chillies, whole
20 ml oil
Method
1. Take all green leafy vegetables and wash them thoroughly 3 to 4 times under running water.
2. Then, cut them fine.
3. Next, take one big handi or cooking pot, boil all fresh green leaves, and add green chilli, ginger, white makhan and ghee. They are typically cooked for hours, say 6 to 7 hours, on slow heat. However, you can cook them for 30 minutes on medium heat at home.
4. In another pan, add oil. Then add whole red chilli, chopped garlic, and cook until the colour changes to a golden brown. Next, add chopped onions and sauté for about 1 minute. Begin adding coriander powder, red chilli powder and salt. Cook for the next 10 minutes.
5. Add all the masala, makkai flour and ghee or clarified butter to this mix and allow it to cook for 30 minutes.
6. Serve hot with makkai or maize flour bread.
Recipe courtesy: Chef Jitendra Negi, Dhaba Lane, Al Karama, Dubai
