Saag, sometimes also called saagwala, is a green-leaf based curry, popular especially in Punjabi cuisine. It can be served with meat (saag gosht) or with paneer cheese or as a dish of its own to be served with naans, rotis or rice. Meat version is commonly prepared with lamb, but today I suggest a quicker version with chicken. It is ideal for those preferring slightly milder curries.
You'll need:
1 chicken breast
400g pre-cooked spinach
2 medium onions
crushed chilli flakes (or a fresh red chilli)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3 cardamon pods
cinnamon
black mustard seeds
turmeric
ground coriander
cumin seeds
2 bay leaves
2 spoons of tomato concentrate
1/2 glass of water
salt & pepper
oil for frying
Naans, rotis or rice to serve with
1. Chop the onions and fry them on a hot pan with oil. Once it softens add garlic and chilli flakes and fry for one more minute.
2. Open up the cardamom pods and empty the contents into the pan. Add the rest of the spices, except for the bay leaves. Allow to fry for a few seconds (the aroma of the onions together with the spices is absolutely amazing!).
3. Add spinach, tomato concentrate, a pinch of salt together with water and stir. Allow to cook for a minute or two and then put aside to cool down.
4. In the meantime, cut the chicken breast into small pieces, season with salt and pepper and fry on a separate pan.
5. Once the spinach mixture has cooled down a little bit, blend it. Add bay leaves and chicken pieces and simmer slowly for at least 15 minutes (if you allow it to simmer longer, the flavours will come out even better), e voila!
Bon appétit!
