''Saron da saag'', also known as ''sarsa da saag'', is a dish of
mustard greens cooked with spices. It originated in the northern
Indian subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a physiographic region of Asia below the Himalayas which projects into the Indian Ocean between the Bay of Bengal to the east and the Arabian Sea to the west. It is now divided between Bangladesh, India, and Pakista ...
and is popular throughout the region.
Name
The dish is known as ''sarson ka saag'' in
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
and
Urdu
Urdu (; , , ) is an Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in South Asia. It is the Languages of Pakistan, national language and ''lingua franca'' of Pakistan. In India, it is an Eighth Schedule to the Constitution of Indi ...
, ''saron da saag'' (or ''sareyan da saag'' in
Punjabi,
''sarsav nu shaak'' in
Gujarati, and ''sariso saag'' in
Maithili.
''Sarson'', ''sarhon, sareyan,'' etc. derive from the
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
word "mustard. ''Saag/shaak'' derives from the Sanskrit word ''śāka'' "greens; vegetable leaves".
Ingredients and preparation
Mustard is widely grown in the region for the plant's leaves, seeds and seed oil. It is harvested in winter and spring, making ''sarson ka saag'' a popular warming dish in the cooler months.
There are many recipes for the dish, usually cooking the leaves in oil or clarified butter (''
ghee
Ghee is a type of clarified butter, originating from South Asia. It is commonly used for cooking, as a Traditional medicine of India, traditional medicine, and for Hinduism, Hindu religious rituals.
Description
Ghee is typically prepared by ...
'') with spices such as garlic, ginger and chilli. Other spices used vary according to region and taste.
Accompaniments
The dish is often served with bread such as ''
makki ki roti'' or ''
bajra ki roti''.
[Laveesh Bhandari, Sumita Kale, "Indian states at a glance, 2008-09: Punjab : performance, facts and figures", Pearson Education India, 2009, , section 4.7.2]
See also
*
Palak paneer
*
Saag
References
Indian vegetable dishes
Indian cuisine
Pakistani curries
Punjabi cuisine
Bihari cuisine
Gujarati cuisine
Kashmiri cuisine
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