Winter special- Makai ki roti and sarso ka saag

Hi, everyone,
We are here once again with a very famous pure punjabi cuisine. An Indian recipe -Winter special– Makai ki roti and sarso ka saag is not very popular  in punjab but also appreciated by all over India.

Makai(Maize)  roti is very good in taste accompanied with sarso ka saag and gur (jaggery) make this recipe rich and royal.

Most of Indian’s  are fan of this green sarso saag– creamy  leafy greens … With dollop of butter and makai ki roti(bread) make this recipe lip smacking and finger licking.

Ingredients

•  1 kg mustard green leaves ( sarso) ( wash and cleaned)  finely chopped
• 1/2 kg spinach (palak)  wash and cleaned (finely chopped)
• 250 grams bathua(goosefoot) wash and  cleaned  finely chopped(optional)
• 2-3 tbsp grated ginger
• 2tbsp very finely chopped garlic
• 2-3 medium size onion finely chopped
• 2-3 medium size tamotoes( finely chopped)
• 4-5  slited green chilies
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1tbsp  garam masala  powder( use home made garam masala powder for good taste)
• 1 tbsp maize flour(optional)
• 4-5 tbsp  desi ghee(clarified butter)
• 1 tbsp butter
• Salt to taste

Directions

• Heat 3-4 cup of water in pressure cooker.
• Add chopped greens to the water.
• Add 1/4 tsp. of salt, cover with lid and cook on high heat for one whistle, lower the heat and cook for 10-12 minutes or till the saag (greens) become soft.
• Remove from the heat.
• Strain and reserve the stock of this veggies greens.
• Churn or coarse paste the greens (saag) in a mixie for 30 seconds.
  Or
  (Put the boiled saag in a pan and mashed with a masher for 3-4 minutes or till it get smooth texture)
  (Do not fine puree the saag. The texture of saag should be coarse.)
• Heat ghee in a non-stick pan / kadhai.
• Add grated ginger and crushed garlic.
• Sauté for a minute on medium heat.
• Add slited green chilies, and finely chopped onion.
• Sauté for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or until onion become pink in colour.
• Add chopped tomatoes and pinch of salt, mix well and sauté for 2-3 minutes on low heat till tomatoes becomes tender and marshy while stirring occasionally.
• Add chili powder, garam masala powder, and mix well sauté for 20-30 seconds.
• Add maize flour, mix well and sauté for 20-30 seconds.
• Add saag, mix well.
• Add reserve stock little by little. Mix well.(Use  the quantity of Green’s stock  with your preference)
• Cook on medium heat to low heat for 10minutes, while stirring occasionally.
• Add salt, mix well and cook for a minute.
  Check the consistency (it should be not very thick nor very thin) or adjust consistency with your preference.
• Serve hot and garnish with dollop of butter.(1 tbsp.).

  Makai Ki roti( maize flour roti)–

  Preparation time:5 minutes
  Cooking time:20-25 minutes
  makes 8-10 rotis

  Ingredients-
  

• 5cup Maize flour

• 1cup wheat flour
• 2-4 tbsp. wheat flour for dusting
• salt to taste
• Lukewarm Water for kneading the dough
• Ghee or refine oil for shallow fry the rotis
• 3-4 dollop of butter(2-3 tbs)

  Directions

• Take a bowl, add maize flour and wheat flour and salt.
• Using lukewarm water, knead the dough gently for about 5-7 minutes.

• Cover it and rest it for 5 minutes.
• Heat a non-stock tava.
• Take small portion or ball of dough. Make peda of it and dust by wheat flour and roll the gently by rolling pin.

  (Make roti of your desired shape or thickness)

• place the roti on hot tava,
• Add 1 tsp. of ghee /refine oil on each side of roti.
• Cook it on medium heat for each of side until you find golden brown spot in your roti.
• Roti is ready to serve. Rub /apply butter on rotis.
• Serve hot with sarso ka saag and Gur (jaggery).

  Note-My mom tip–

• This roti making method is for beginner.
  If you want to make roti as conventional method, do not dust the dough in a flour or roll by rolling pin while making Makai roti).

  Make Makai Ki roti by this method-

• Take a ball of the kneaded dough.
• Spread a muslin cloth, place the ball on muslin cloth.
• simply -with wet hand, flatten the ball to make a roti.( do not use flour for dusting if you want to make with  this method)
  Or
  (You can use plastic sheet instead of muslin cloth-  this is a another option for maize roti making method)
• Expert can make with their hand (using by their palm and finger).
• For health point of view-you can make without using any oil or ghee.
  Just apply butter on the last moment of cooking and serve hot.
• Always use hot or lukewarm water for kneading the dough.
• You must have a question in your mind that why I am using wheat flour for kneading the dough along with maize flour?

  Answer– is that maize flour have less elasticity for kneading the dough. If you take whole maize dough, it might break while rolling it.
  Wheat flour have gluten, adding in a maize flour help the dough to bind enough for making roti smoothly.
  Knead for at least 5-7 minutes for good roti in texture and taste.

  For saag –

• Maize flour is optional. Use maize flour while cooking of saag if you like it’s taste in saag otherwise skip it.The reason behind of use the maize flour  in making saag for smoothing the texture of saag.
• You can make saag in refine oil instead of ghee, but if you want authentic taste of sarso ka saag then follow my steps.
• Always thoroughly clean the greens veggies about 3-4 time in running water to remove the mud attached with greens).
• Do not fine puree the boiled saag. Always mashed or coarse paste them for authentic Panjabi saag taste.
• You can skip garam masala in making saag but I suggest you to add it for very awesome taste It taste very good.

  Serve with a dollop of butter for rich and awesome taste.

That’s all for today.

Do enjoy your winter with this healthy and delightful yummy taste of Punjab.

Take care.

We are signing off.
Bye.

Asha
Archana
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