Lohri Special Recipe – Makke Ki Roti And Sarson Ka Saag

Lohri is a joyous festival in the western parts of India especially Punjab. It is a festival that celebrates eating, feeding, and staying happy with a full stomach. There are a lot of festivities and stories that are associated with lohri. The festival marks new year for the farmers of Punjab. The people show their gratitude for the food and the crops that they are able to grow and they pray to the Lord's to bless them with abundant food so that nobody goes hungry.

The festival of Lohri is marked by people going around bonfires in parikrama and offering til, gud and rewdi. A lot of snacks are prepared like chikki, popcorn, gud-til laddoo and they are all offered to the fire for a rewarding harvest. In the night, every family has a wholesome dinner and the star dish of the menu is always sarson ka saag and makke ki roti. If you are looking for an easy recipe of this iconic food combination, then we have you covered. Here is a recipe by Abhijeet Hemant Khot, Sous Chef, Layla, The Den Bengaluru.  

Serves: 1

Ingredients

• 250 Gms Mustard Greens
• 250 Gms Mixed greens
• 100 Gms Onion
• 10 Gms Garlic
• 10 Gms Ginger
• 10 Gms Green Chillies
• 150 Gms Tomatoes
• 100 Gms Radish
• 10 Gms Red chili powder
• 10 Gms Salt

Method

Sarson ka saag | Pexels

• Wash and chop the greens and then add them to the pressure cooker. Then add the chopped onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilies.
• Add tomatoes and white radish. Then add the red chili powder and salt. Add 1.5 cups water and stir.
• Pressure cooks for 5-6 whistles (in a traditional stove top pressure cooker) on high heat until everything is soft and done.
• If using the Instant Pot (like I did here), cook on high pressure for 5 mins and then let the pressure release naturally. Alternatively, you can also cook everything on a stove top for 20-25 minutes until soft.
• Open the pressure cooker/instant pot and then use an immersion blender to puree the saag. If you do not have an immersion blender, wait for it cool down a bit and then puree using your regular blender.
• Blend to a coarse paste. You may blend it to super fine texture using a high-speed blender. I prefer it little coarse.
• Transfer saag to another pot on stove top over medium-low heat. Add 2 tablespoons of maize flour to the saag and mix, this helps in thickening the saag.
• Set heat to low and let the saag simmer for 20 to 25 minutes on low heat. It will thicken as it simmers.
• For the final tadka, heat a small pan on medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add ghee to it and then add hing and chopped garlic cloves. Sauté for few seconds and then add the chopped onion and dried red chilies.
• Cook until the onions and garlic turn light golden brown. Add the coriander powder and garam masala and mix.
• Transfer the tadka/tempering to the saag and mix.
• Serve sarson ka saag with makki roti, sliced onion, jaggery and white butter!

Makki Ki Roti

Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 200 Gm Maize flour
• 100 Gms Hot water
• 5 Gms Carom seeds
• 10 Gms Salt
• 40 Gms Ghee

Method

• In a mixing bowl take the maize flour or cornmeal, carom seeds and salt as required. Mix them together with a spoon.
• Heat water separately in a pan till it comes to a boil. Add this hot water to the flour.
• Mix with a spoon. Cover and keep aside till the dough mixture becomes warm.
• When the mixture becomes warm and the heat is fine to handle, begin to knead to a smooth yet firm dough. If the dough looks dry, then add some warm water. If the dough looks sticky, then add a few tablespoons of maize flour.
• Knead into a smooth yet firm dough. Fine cracks will be there on the dough but not to worry. Make medium sized balls of the dough. Shape them into a neat ball and flatten them.
• Sprinkle some maize flour on the rolling board. Place the dough ball on the rolling board. Then sprinkle some maize flour on the dough ball also.
• Begin to gently roll with a rolling pin. Add more flour if required.
• Roll small to medium-sized round circles. Make into the size of a roti or chapati but not very thin, but a little thick.
• You can even use a Ziplock bag. If using a Ziplock bag, then keep the bag on the rolling board or on a plate or on a surface which you can move. Place the dough ball in the bag.
• Press it slightly with your hands. Now with the rolling pin, slowly roll. Sprinkle some flour. Move the rolling board and roll again. This is to ensure that all the sides of the roti are evenly rolled.
• Now spread some ghee or oil on a hot tawa (skillet) – about 1 to 2 teaspoons of ghee or oil
• Gently place the roti on the tava or griddle. If there is a crack on the roti, then gently and carefully pat that portion with a few drops of water.
• When one side is a little browned, flip the roti with the help of a spatula.
• When the other side gets browned, flip again. Flip a couple of times and cook till the roti is well browned and cooked from all sides. Press the edges with a spatula so that they get cooked well.
• Drizzle a bit of ghee on the sides while cooking the roti. If the dough is kneaded very well, the roti will start puffing up also or you can see the roti puffing at some spots.
• Remove roti from pan and serve hot. Or you can stack them in a roti basket or bundle a stack of them in a clean kitchen cotton towel. Roll and roast the remaining roti this way until all the dough is used up.
• Serve the makki ki roti topped with butter with Sarson ka Saag and jaggery cubes