I am from Delhi where 35 million people from different parts of India live but a majority population is from Punjab so the food in this city has a taste of Punjab. If you ever visit my city New Delhi you will feel like it was part of Punjab or Haryana the two adjoining states which now separated but have almost similar food and culture.

 

I originally belong to Punjab and basically a Punjabi so I will give you a recipe from Punjab which is called "Sarson da Saag" and "Makka di Roti" consumed with lot of butter, jaggery and to top it all a few glasses full of mattha. This recipe is consumed in India especially during winter season.

I have cooked and eat sarson ka saag and makki di roti in different places including Punjab but since I live in Delhi, I love going to Punjab Grill, Kake Di Hatti, and Jamavar, Leela Palace New Delhi which are some of the best known for original Punjab and Haryana style preparation.

When my wife and I visited Rajdhani Thali, New Delhi for the first time my wife was so impressed that she wanted to know the basics of the recipe.

Fortunately this place is known for its helpful chefs who help the curiosities of their customers so one of the chefs came to our table and gave a detail description of how to cook and what ingredients they use and their quantities. In fact this classic Punjabi dish might taste different at different places as per the spices used or the quantity of butter or ghee.

All I can say Rajdhani Thali restaurant, New Delhi is one of the best for their sarson ka saag and makki di roti which reminds me of what we ate in our mother's kitchen growing up. Thanks Leela Palace for a tasty experience with your sarson da saag and makki di roti, complete with butter, japery and lots of butter on the roti.

My Favorite Punjabi Dish from Delhi

Now I will give you the recipe of how to make Makka di roti and Sarson da saag or to make it easy for you can call it as 'mustard greens curry' and 'Maize flour flatbread.' These are perhaps the most consumed traditional dish of Punjab, available allover the world where Indian live. You can find this food item even on road side eateries to fine dining restaurants.

Sarson saag and corn roti recipe

Ingredients for Sarson Ka Saag:

Mustard greens (green Sarson)- 400 grams
Spinach - 100 grams
Bathua (Goosefoot)- 100 grams
Tomatoes - 3 (250 grams)
Green chilies - 2
Ginger paste - 1 small piece
Mustard oil - 2-3 tablespoons
Coriander leaves - 2 tablespoons (finely chopped)
Maize flour - 2-3 tablespoons
Cumin seeds - ½ teaspoon
Aforesaid - 1 pinch
Turmeric powder - ¼ teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1 teaspoon
Red chilli powder - as per your taste
Salt - as per your taste

How to make Sarson Ka Saag

The first step is to clean all the leaves, the mustard green, spinach, goosefoot or if we mix any other leaves like fenugreek according to our choice. We then wash the leaves to remove impure particles.

Now we clean and remove stalks, and wash the leaves with water, and chop them fine.

We grind tomatoes, green chillies and ginger in a mixer jar and keep it ready.

Now we put them in a pressure cooker, and add chopped mustard, spinach and goosefoot leaves in it, add water and close the cooker and cook for about 5-7 minutes. Then we turn off the gas and let the pressure of the cooker.

In another pan, heat oil and fry asafoetida, cumin seeds, chopped garlic, ginger. When it turns red, add some turmeric powder. We now mix this in the greens paste and heat for few more minutes.

How to make Makki Ki Roti

Ingredients for Makka di roti

Makka (Maize) flour
Salt
Hot water
Ghee or butter

First of all, take flour in a vessel, add a pinch of salt (if you want to add salt) to it and knead the dough well. We must prepare the dough little hard by adding as much water so it doesn't get to soft. We should use dry flour for spreading the Roti while rolling it so it rolls smoothly.

We have a dough kneading machine so it makes the task easy.