easy way to make makki ki roti and two new versions of sarson ka saag

I keep getting requests to post recipes or videos of how to make makki ki roti or any millet roti perfectly. Taking step wise pictures or making a video is not possible for now but I thought of letting you all know a nice shortcut way to make makki ki roti nice and round without much hassle. This roti is softer and rolls out better on the chakla belan.

It wont be a fright anymore to make makki ki roti if you apply this method.

I can make a normal makki ki roti with ease, just taking care to knead the dough using hot water. I can easily pat the roti in my hands, I have large hands by the way, and flip it on the hot griddle. But it comes with practice. You might find it tough if you are new to rotis or have never handled any millet flour. The roti in the picture is hand patted and made the old fashioned way as I did not want to dilute the makki ka atta taste, our neighborhood chakki wala had made really fresh makki ka atta this time.

The trick I do when I am in a hurry and want the rotis to be rolled out on the chakla nicely, I cook some oatmeal with water and knead the makki ka atta with that. No more cracked edges, thinner roti and easier handling on the griddle too. The rotis stay softer even when cold. 

The ratio for the dough is, 2 heaped tbsp of oatmeal to be cooked in half cup of water, salt can be added but I normally avoid it. Now add a cup of makki ka atta and knead well, you might need to add a little more makki ka atta if you can't handle soft dough on the chakla belan. 

The same method works for jowar or bajra rotis as well. Try that if you find cooking millet rotis difficult.

Now the recipe of this new version of sarson ka saag. I make this spicy version of sarson ka saag every winter but last year I saw a recipe by a friend Promilaa that looked really interesting and very different from what I cook. It was without any garam masala or tomatoes or even onions that I used to add diligently.

I could not cook it last year and this season too it got really late. But better late than never. In the last leg of winters when the mustard greens are on their way out, I bought a huge bunch and got set to make some sarson ka saag. I actually made two versions and loved them both. Here is the first version which is based on Promilaa's recipe.

ingredients
(makes about 4 cups of saag, serves 2 hungry people like us, the saag makes a meal for me, makki ki roti is incidental)
mustard greens with stems 500 gm
spinach with long stems 250 gm
salt to taste
makki ka atta 2 tbsp
ghee 3 tbsp
finely chopped ginger 3 tbsp
chopped green chillies 2
deghi mirch powder 2 tsp

procedure

Peel the stems of mustard greens if it is too hard. Clean and chop all the leaves and stems.
Clean and chop the spinach as well. Promilaa's recipe uses only spinach stems but I could not discard the leaves as these were from my own garden.

Boil both the saags in a kadhai covered with a fitting lid, with added salt to taste. No water is required if you have washed the greens just before cooking. It takes about 20 minutes to get cooked. Cool down and blend in mixie or use the hand blender to blend it in the kadhai itself.

Now add the makki ka atta and mix well. Cook till the saag puree starts puffing up in violent bubbles. Keep it covered if you are standing next to it.

Make a tadka by heating the ghee in a smaller pan, add the chopped green chilly, chopped ginger and deghi mirch and pour over the cooked saag. Serve immediately with makki ki roti.

This is a refreshingly simple and clean flavoured recipe of sarson ka saag. I would have liked some garlic in it as I feel garlic makes all greens more palatable and prevents flatulence as well. I also missed the white butter I love in my sarson ka saag. But to tell the truth, the saag is really tasty in a different way. Arvind liked it more than me.

I cooked one more version of sarson ka saag, using some bathua and methi leaves as well but the spices were not added in this one too. The recipe is here..

ingredients
(makes about 4-5 cups of saag)
mustard greens with stems cleaned and chopped 400 gm
spinach with stems cleaned and chopped 200 gm
bathua (chenopodium greens) cleaned and chopped 100 gm
methi(fenugreek greens) leaves cleaned and chopped 100 gm
makki ka atta (cornmeal) 2 tbsp
chopped garlic 2 tbsp
green chillies 3-4
chopped ginger 3 tbsp
salt to taste
ghee 1 tbsp
fresh cream or white butter to serve

preparation

Heat ghee in a kadhai and add the chopped garlic, ginger and green chillies in that order and fry them till a bit pinkish brown. Add the chopped greens, salt to taste and cook till done, covered. No water is required if you cook the saag on low heat.

Liquidise when done. Serve hot with fresh cream or white butter.

I think I will be making this recipe more often as this is the one simpler recipe that I liked so much I finished it almost all by myself. That too without any roti with it.

I might cook some more saag till there is some more mustard greens in the market. Try these and let me know if these recipes worked for you.

Note that both these recipes are very different form each other in taste the first one has a nice kick of chilly and ginger heat while the second one is a mellow creaminess. Both recipes are like day and night and yet superbly and equally tasty.

makki di roti te saron da saag | makki ki roti sarson ka saag, the perfect winter food

Makki di rotti te saron da saag, this is how the humble peasant food of Punjab is called. Sarson ka saag makki ki roti is one classic combination that defines how the special food was always defined by the best of the season. Making maaki ki roti and sarson ka saag used to be a ceremony in every home and it still is, most people now make one large batch of sarson ka saag for the whole season and freeze it in batches.

Thawing the sarson ka saag, refreshing it with some hot tadka and fresh white butter and some freshly made makki ki roti makes a soulful meal even in modern times. Those who have a big time crunch can get half cooked makki ki roti made in bulk and reheat it over gas flame whenever serving. If there is a will there is a way and we do it for some of the special meals. Makki ki roti and sarson ka saag is one of them.

Making the saag is quite time consuming. It is advisable to wash and clean the leafy greens in advance, boil them with the initial ingredients in large batch and freeze it for future use. Thereafter your job will be easier whenever you want this for lunch or dinner.

ingredients 
(served 6-10 depending on side dishes)

500gm of spinach  
250 gm of bathua 
250 gm of fenugreek greens
one kilo of mustard greens 
 half a cup of chana daal
one chopped onion
2 inch piece ginger chopped and a few green chillies

procedure 

Mix everything with 1.5 cup of water and pressure cook with salt to taste. I prefer to pressure cook for 10 minutes after the first whistle. 


Blend this mixture. I prefer a coarse textured saag so I blend it coarsely, you can blend it smooth if you want the other way. After this the saag can be freezed in portions for later use, tempering with the tadka whenever required.

For the tadka, heat mustard oil or ghee in a kadhai and throw in some cumin seeds and coriander seeds (must use this), Then add some coarsely ground onion, ginger,garlic and green chilies, stir fry till cooked but no need to brown them.

Add the everyday curry powder, a generous pinch of garam masala and fry till the spices get aromatic, sprinkling some water in between to prevent the mixture from burning.

Make a coarse paste of fresh tomatoes and add to the frying mixture, add salt and fry till the tomatoes get cooked.

The cooked mixture looks reddish brown. Add red chilly powder if you like it hot. I don't add red chili powder normally. Some times I add boiled peas at this stage.

Now the coarse paste of the saag goes in, mix well and let it simmer for 5 minutes. A little bit of roasted and powdered kassori methi makes the saag very aromatic. Add it and let the saag be covered for a few minutes, off heat, before serving.

Note that the proportion of the spices, onion, garlic, ginger and chillies etc for the tadka depends on individual taste. The tadka can be really light or medium spicy as per taste but take care not to add too much spices and drown the taste of the sarson ka saag. 

Topped with white butter and piping hot, this is how the sarson ka saag is served and it becomes soul food for everyone who is blessed by it. Yes it is such a special food of the season.

Makki ki roti on the side, white butter melting teasingly. Many people can't imagine makki ki roti without butter, but I like it both ways, with butter or without it. Once we have white butter in the saag you really don't need much for the makki ki roti but these special meals are indulgent type for many of us. Go with the flow when eating best of the season I say.

If you don't have the luxury of white butter you can have it with regular butter too. But making white butter in a small batch is not too difficult and it takes only about 5 minutes to make a bowl of white butter. See how to make white butter at home. Making ghee at home from the same butter is easy too.

White butter transforms such meals so it is worth investing some time in it.

As I said and you all know for sure, making the makki ki roti is a matter of practice.

With the right instructions, the task becomes workable though. I have shared an easier way to make makki ki roti with some added oats too.

The instructions with my tips are here to follow if you are making regular makki ki roti.

Take 1/2 cup of makki ka atta for 2 rotis in a bowl, pour hot water over it (about 70 degree C)

Mix well using all fingers, knead with a rubbing motion so that the dough becomes soft. The corn dough has less pliability so it helps to rub it more so that the dough starts binding as you rub.

Add more water if needed, it takes more water than wheat flour, the dough becomes smoother and softer.

Make a smooth ball.

Dust with regular flour.

Use the rolling pin to roll the roti with soft hands, not a very smooth edge but that is fine. My mother used to make perfectly smooth rotis with makki ka atta.

This roti is a bit thicker than wheat chapati, some people can make it very thin too but don't worry if you can't make it thin. It tastes as good if cooked well.

Lift the roti quickly and flip on hot griddle. Cook both sides before cooking it directly on flame.

Serve hot with butter or without it.

This platter of makki ki roti and sarson ka saag has brought many complements to me, many emotional ones too.

This kind of food brings back memories nostalgia and a pure sense of contentment. Making makki ki roti and sarson ka saag at home is always like a great indulgence for me.