We’re halfway through our Indian Thanksgiving, and to remind, you I’ve started it with the Garam Masala spiced turkey tenderloin, added in some amazing achari macaroni and cheese and now, we’re coming on the veg portion of our thanksgiving with Indian saag.
Admittedly it’s not really Thanksgiving-y at all, per se, but the idea was a bit inspired by creamed spinach, which I feel like popped into my head as being something that is often on people’s holiday tables. Am I wrong? We never really ate anything creamed in my house so it’s hard to say, and the vegetables that tend to grace our holiday table usually stick to boiled, but still crunch, lightly seasoned green beans, or baked sweet potatoes with none of that marshmallow ridiculousness on it, or…salad? I can’t think of what else we eat, but creamed anything was never on that list. As such, my attempt to Indian-flavorize this traditional side dish came in the form of making traditional Indian saag. Saag paneer might be what you think of when you hear saag and that’s exactly right.
The one thing about this recipe is that I 1) didn’t add paneer because I made that righteous mac and cheese and 2) and it’s not pureed and beaten down, which is the way that you’ve probably had your saag at any number of Indian restaurant. Or, that’s my experience at least. I just wanted a bit of texture for my spinach side dish, but you do you if you’re rather have a puree.
Like with the macaroni and cheese, the power from this dish comes from the spice mix. It’s much simpler than the mac, but the pre-cooking, or at least separate cooking, is key.
The recipe comes from my mom’s trusty The Complete Asian Cookbook, shockingly without any adaptations.
Indian Saag
November 12, 2019
: 4
: 20 min
: Easy
Indian saag is sauteed spinach mixed with white radish and onion, and spiced with chili powder, turmeric, mustard and garam masala.
Ingredients
- 1 pound fresh spinach
- 1 large white radish, peeled and diced
- 1 TB vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1/2 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 tsp ground turmeric
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp garam masala
- 1 lemon, juiced
Directions
- Step 1 Wash the spinach and remove any tough stalks.
- Step 2 Break the leaves into small pieces and put into a large skillet with just a sprinkle of water. Add the radish.
- Step 3 Cover and cook over low heat until vegetables are soft and all the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Mash the vegetables, if desired.
- Step 4 Pushing the spinach to the side of the pan, to the other side, add the oil and fry the mustard seeds for a minute until fragrant, careful not to burn them. Add the onion and ginger, and turn up the heat to medium. Cook until the onions are soft and golden. Add the rest of the spices, mix with the spinach mixture, and cook for an additional five minutes. Add the lemon juice and continue cooking until the liquid has evaporated.
- Step 5 Serve with rice or chapati.
