Sarson ka saag with Makke ki roti

The winters are here (well, almost here for Mumbaikars) and it's time to eat some sarson ka saag and makke ki roti. This recipe has become pretty famous in my family and among friends and every season I end up making it multiple times. Recently, my husband took help of a friend for train reservations (yes, it's a huge challenge in India to get last minute train tickets) and when he asked how can he return the favour, the friend asked for some sarson ka saag. So, here I am sharing the recipe with you. Try it, eat it and let me know how was it. You can also send me the pictures at kavitamehrotra05 (at) gmail (dot) com. I would love to see them.

Ingredients
For Saag
Sarson ka saag - 1kg
Spinach -1/2kg
Bathua saag - 1/4 kg
Chana saag - 1/4kg
Cauliflower - 1/2kg   

For Tadka
Red onion - 1
Green chillis -15
Ginger - 25 gms
Garlic - 1 pod
Mustard oil  - 4 tbsp
Salt to taste

For garnishing
White butter - 1 tsp                                   

For makke ki roti
Makke ka atta 1kg
boiled potatoes 2-3

For malida
Jaggery - 200 gms
Makke ki roti - 2
Desi ghee - 4 tbsp

Recipe:
Sarson ka saag

• Boil sarson, spinach, bathua and chana saag together and grind into paste. 
• Heat oil in a pan and add chopped onions, garlic, ginger, green chillies and 2 tbsp makke ka atta.
• Chop cauliflower and add that too. 
• When the onions are fried add the saag paste and salt and let it cook for 10-15 minutes.

Makke ki roti

• Make soft dough of makke ka atta with luke warm water. 
• Mix the boiled potatoes too so the dough binds well. 
• Make round rotis with hands and cook them on a pan.

Malida
It is a dessert enjoyed after the meal and helps digestion too.

• Take two makke ki rotis and break them into pieces. 
• Heat a pan and mix these pieces with jaggery and desi ghee and cook till jaggery melts.
• Serve hot

Garnish the saag with white butter and serve with makke ki roti. Enjoy this Punjabi speciality with buttermilk or mattha and sliced radish on the side.               

Spinach and mushroom pasta

My daughters love to experiment in kitchen. While I stick to Indian recipes they cook a lot of International  dishes. Here's one recipe from their kitchen.

Ingredients:
250 gms penne pasta
500 gms spinach (spinach)
200 gms mushroom (chopped)
3 cloves of garlic
1/2 inch piece of ginger
2 tbspns green pesto
Salt to taste
2 tbspn olive oil

Recipe:
Boil pasta in a big utensil with lots of water (don't add salt or oil). While it's boiling heat oil in a pan, crush ginger and garlic and put it in pan. Add mushrooms, saute them for a minute or two and them add spinach. Once the spinach is cooked add pasta and salt. Mix it well. Garnish it with green pesto and oregano before serving.

Cauliflower, carrot, turnip pickle

Winters have arrived and the vegetable market is stocked. This is the best time to make vegetable pickles. The one I am going to tell you here is very famous up North. It's also known as Punjabi achaar (pickle).

Ingredients:
3 kgs cauliflower
2 kgs carrot
1 kg turnip
1/2 kgs green peas
1/2 kg green chilies
250 gms ginger
500 gms salt
150 gms blackrock salt
100 gms red chilly powder
100 gms turmeric
100 gms garam masala
100 gms fennel (powdered)
50 gms kalaunji (onion seeds)
150 gms rai (mustard seeds)
2 gms heeng (asofoetida)
1 kg mustard oil
1/2 cup vinegar

Recipe:
Cut cauliflower, carrot and turnip into small pieces. Put a long incision in the chilies. Boil the vegetables (including peas) for 2-3 minutes, spread them on a cloth and keep them in the Sun for a day. Add salt once they dry up. Heat oil in a pan, add all the spices and vegetables and let them cook for few minutes. Add vinegar after it cools down. Preserve in a bottle.