17/12/2014
I believe all our gastronomical experiences and the sensory emotions they evoke are a reflection of our childhood experiences, and my first memory of the endless fields of yellow flowers of sarson kay kaith (mustard fields), is of unadulterated childlike awe. We were Driving from Delhi to Ambala through, a village in Punjab, when I saw an impressive black bull wearing a black crow on its head like a crown, standing in a field of gold.
I vividly remember exclaiming, “black gorilla and black crow standing inside yellow flowers,” I was three, life was full of possibilities and my first meal of sarson ka saag and makkai ki roti was just around the corner.: ))) for this Hardcore Bombay child.
Nothing is more quintessentially Punjab than sarson ka saag and makkai ki roti, it’s an earthy hearty food abundant in flavour, nutrients and colour; much like the land and the people it belongs to. Picture fields of golden yellow flowers, the region sarson has been indigenous to for more than 5 millenniums. Sarson is a winter and spring fare and its seasonal abundance in Punjab, on both sides of the Wagah, makes it a Punjabi favourite for the rustics and the urbanites alike.
Sarson ka saag is a vegetarian delight made from the leaves of the mustard plant, the same plant that gives us the delicious condiment mustard. The desi (colloquial term for things, people and a way of life from the subcontinent) mustard green, grown in Pakistan and India is a smooth flat textured leaf, but another variety includes a crumpled frilly leaf, spunky in look but earthy in taste. Historically, sarson ka saag, was generally the rural people’s food in Punjab and the robust homemade butter-topped saag fit the hardworking lifestyle of the village people laboriously working the agricultural lands of the fertile province. They almost always justified and propagated the consumption of desi ghee (clarified butter), desi makhan (butter), lassi (yogurt drink), desi paneer (cottage cheese) and chaahch (buttermilk), and this practice has since carried to urban Punjab. A rich cuisine it may be, but its pure, farm fresh and organic composition makes it a winner in the world of engineered and preservative laden food.
This is why Chaukhat decided to Go Sans any preservatives.
The leaves give you great strength and makkai ki roti is a great accompaniment; it is gluten free and has a unique sturdy texture when cooked. Roti (bread) made with the flour of freshly harvested corn was always available in the winters of Punjab, since corn is cultivated in Punjab, and our forefathers bought it home from the fields for the woman folk to grind in the chakki (grinder mill) to make corn flour.”
Traditionally, the real sarson ka saag is cooked sans masala, just a dash of salt and ginger, mixed in with the greens; mustard greens, green chilli, spinach, bathuaor mithi (pigweed and fenugreek). And the real cooks, our mothers and grandmothers, who follow the age-old family recipe without the modern touch to suit contemporary lifestyles, still cook it the same way. It was said to be slow-cooked and hand stirred in its own water until it reached the desired edible creaminess of freshly churned butter, and then laden with fried onions and topped with farm fresh butter and devoured for simple goodness.
Close byto that,People hailing from Uttar Pradesh shallow fry sarson and top it with tomatoes and yogurt to overwhelm its strong peppery and bitter taste, an entirely different style of cooking. Sarson has an almost pungent taste to it and is therefore cooked in the company of other greens, broccoli, radish, spinach, pigweed, fenugreek and at times turnip.
We have tried to keep it between this two state tastes and combine the flavour & freshness to present Mumbai SARSON KA SAAG with MAKKI KI ROTI...
THEY SAY....MAKKI ROTI SARSON SAAG IS BEST ENJOYED IN WINTERS...&
STOCKS ARE ALWAYS Fresh WITH US...BUT can we say the same about Mumbai Winters ?!!! ahem ahem!!! order now...
:)
