Recipes
saag and makki roti

saag and makki roti

by gurmit
from Punjab

Recipe Story

saag is a sort of patte made with combination of winter greens, spinach, corn meal, onion, garlic, ginger...and eaten with rotis made from makki(corn meal). Accompaniments are mooli (large white radish) and fresh green chillies. This often provides opportunity for chilly eating competitions! The meal is washed down with a cooling lassi (yougurt drink)It is very healthy; loaded with iron and antioxidants and suitable for those on gluten free diet. Long time ago an English gentleman was served with a dollop of saag placed on makki roti which is quite stiff and not floppy like wheat roti. He devoured the saag and returned the roti saying 'here is your plate'! You are supposed to break off small pieces of the roti from the periphery to scoop the saag from the dollop on the center of the roi and eat them together followed by a bite of a raw chilly or mooly.Back in punjabi villages , this dish is slow cooked in earthen wares but is now adapted to be cooked fast in a pressure cooker. Come to our Gurdwara in Birmingham and see this dish being cooked in a pot big enough to serve a thousand people every Saturday for whole day!

Servings:

for 4

Level of difficulty:

Easy

Ingredients


500gm fresh or frozen spinach finely chopped.
1kg winter greens(green leaf cabbage)finely chopped.
500gm mixture of brocolli,sprouts(optional)finely chopped.
25gm freshly minced ginger.
4 cloves of minced garlic.
1 medium onion finely chopped.
4 green chillies finely chopped.
1/2 cup corn meal.
200gm butter.
3 tsp salt .
1 tsb garam masala.

for makki roti
2 cups corn meal
boiling water
2tbs oil.

Method


In a pressure cooker, bring to boil 1/4 litre water.Add finely chopped greens with salt and cook uder medium/high presure for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile in a frying pan, melt butter.Fry onions until brown and then add garlic ,ginger, chillies, and garam masala.
Remove the lid from the pressure cooker when safe to do.Make sure the greens have cooked to a semi dry mixture. If not cook further to without the lid to reduce moisture.Add the corn meal slowlly and gradually and mixing well using a potato masher making sure no lumps are formed.
When a smooth mixture has been obtained, add the contents of the frying pan. Mix well ang cook for another 5 minutes on a low heat.Serve with makki roti

Makki roti
In a mixing bowl mix enough boiling water with corn meal to form a stiff dough.Knead and rub well until smooth.Make 6-8 balls.
Lay a small ploythene sheet(25cm sq)on a work surface and moisten slightly with water.Press the roti dough gently on the sheet patting it out into a round flat bread( about 20 cm diameter). Gently lift it onto a very hot and oiled griddle and cook both sides. Spread with butter or oil (optional) before surving.
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