MUSTARD GREENS

Mustard is another plant that refuses to perform only one job.

Its seeds become spice, tempering ingredient and the foundation of mustard oil.

Its leaves become food.

Young leaves can be sharp and peppery. Mature greens develop greater depth, bitterness and pungency.

Slow cooking softens their sharper edges.

English — Mustard Greens / Indian Mustard Leaves
Hindi — Sarson / Sarson ke Patte
Punjabi — Sarson / Sarson da Saag
Bengali — Shorshe Shaak
Marathi — Moharichi Bhaji
Gujarati — Rai na Paan
Telugu — Avalu Aakulu
Kannada — Sasive Soppu

Mustards belong to an ancient family of cultivated plants with histories across Eurasia.

Indian mustard became deeply embedded in agriculture and food culture across the subcontinent.

The seeds season food.
They yield oil.
The leaves become vegetables.
The tender stems may be cooked.

Most famously associated with Punjab and northwestern winter food culture, while its use extends into eastern and other regional cuisines.

Punjab gave mustard greens their great culinary celebrity.

Mustard greens can be:
slow-cooked into saag
combined with other winter greens
sautéed
cooked with garlic, ginger and chilli
paired with maize breads
used in mixed-green preparations

Sarson ka saag is frequently not sarson alone. Mustard greens may be combined with bathua, spinach and other greens depending on household and availability.

Sarson da Saag
Makki di Roti with Sarson da Saag
Mixed Winter Saag
Shorshe Shaak
Mustard Greens with Garlic

Peppery, pungent and slightly bitter.

Young leaves can be lively and fresh.

Slow cooking mellows their aggressiveness without erasing their character.

Mustard greens are tied to season, agriculture and place.

Punjab's winter landscape, mustard cultivation, makki di roti and a pot of saag belong to the same cultural picture.

You ate the season because the season decided what there was to eat.