Come January, my veggie vendor will bring mustard greens and Bathua greens. In Kannada, we call Bathua as chakotha and mustard as sasive soppu .Last week I got a bunch from him and I prepared this curry. I love to include seasonal veggies in my cooking and it is a yearly ritual to make Saag at least once in winter.
How I make –
Sarson / Mustard greens – 2 bunches
Bathua / chakotha leaves – 2 bunches
Palak/spinach – 2 bunches
Onion – 1
Green chillies – 4
Garlic – 10
Ginger- 1 inch
Maize flour – 1 table spoon
Cumin – ½ teaspoon
Turmeric – ½ teaspoon
Hing- ¼ teaspoon
Butter – 1 table spoon
Salt
Method:
- Clean all the greens remove stalks and discard.
- Wash and chop the leaves into fine strips and cook this in a vessel by putting half cup of water, little salt, sugar for 10 to 15 minutes.
- Take one mixer jar and put sliced onion, crushed ginger; chopped chillies and garlic, dry grind all this into rough paste.
- When greens are cool, grind this as well. Don’t make smooth paste. Whip only once or twice, you will get required consistency.
- I usually use earthen vessel to cook traditional items. If you have one, you can use it otherwise use normal kadai.
- Take vessel, put butter, when it is hot add cumin and hing. Then onion and chilli paste. Fry for a while. Add turmeric and salt. Salt will help to ooze out water from the onion and will retain moisture while frying.
- When it is light brown, add maize flour and fry for 2 minutes.
- Add one cup of water and mix onion and maize flour mixture. This will look like a paste now.
- Add Ground greens and boil, If you feel water is needed you can add water and cook until you get the right consistency, and when it is done , mixture becomes like a mass and surface becomes little glossy.
- Serve this with Makki Ki Roti or Phulka with little butter.