Sarson ka Saag (Slow-Cooked Mustard Greens with Ghee Tarka)

Ingredients

• 1 kg mustard greens (sarson), thick stems trimmed, leaves and tender stems washed and roughly chopped
• 300 g spinach (palak), washed and roughly chopped
• 1 medium turnip (shalgam), peeled and diced
• 3 green chillies, slit
• 2 tbsp fresh ginger, roughly chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1½ tsp salt, or to taste
• 250 ml water, for cooking the greens
• 3 tbsp cornmeal (makai ka atta)
• 100 ml cold water, to mix with the cornmeal
• 3 tbsp ghee
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, finely sliced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, cut into thin matchsticks
• 2 dried whole red chillies
• 1 tsp Kashmiri or mild red chilli powder
• 1 tbsp white butter (makkhan) or unsalted butter, to finish

Instructions

1. Wash the mustard greens and spinach in several changes of cold water until no grit remains at the bottom of the bowl. Trim off any thick, woody stems and chop the leaves roughly.
2. Put the mustard greens, spinach, turnip, green chillies, chopped ginger, 6 whole garlic cloves, salt and 250 ml water in a large heavy pot. Cover and cook over medium-low heat, stirring every 10 minutes, until the greens are completely dark and soft and the turnip is easily crushed with a spoon.
3. Take the pot off the heat and let it cool for 10 minutes. Blend with a hand blender, or mash with a wooden masher, to a coarse, slightly textured purée rather than a smooth one.
4. Whisk the cornmeal into 100 ml cold water until smooth. Return the pot to medium-low heat, stir in the cornmeal mixture and simmer, stirring constantly, until the saag is thick, glossy and no longer tastes of raw cornmeal. Splash in a little hot water if it catches on the base.
5. For the tarka, heat the ghee in a small frying pan over medium heat and add the cumin seeds. When they sizzle, add the chopped onion and fry until deep golden brown.
6. Add the sliced garlic, ginger matchsticks and dried red chillies and fry for 1 to 2 minutes until the garlic is golden. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the red chilli powder.
7. Pour the hot tarka over the saag and stir through, or leave part of it on top for serving. Add the butter, cover and rest for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the salt.