'Saag Two Ways' | Rustic Indian Village Recipes Recreated in Our London Kitchen

Recipe 1 - Cavolo Nero Saag Ingredients Cavolo nero — 500 g Onions — 150 g Chillies — 2 red chillies, ½ red chilli for garnish Olive oil — 4 tbsp Salt — to taste Lemon juice — a generous squeeze at the end Coriander — a few sprigs, chopped, for garnish ⸻ Recipe Begin by preparing your vegetables. One of my most favourite parts of any recipe that includes green leafy veg is the chopping. Gather your bunch of cavolo nero and chop it into strips along with its stalks, then set aside. Roughly slice your red onions and slice all your chillies. You can adjust the heat by deseeding the chillies or removing them entirely, but this dish loves a gentle kick. Now take a large shallow pan and heat the olive oil. Once heated, add the sliced onions, along with the chillies you sliced earlier. Sprinkle a pinch of salt and let the onions cook down a little. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and now add your cavolo nero along with its stalks, and salt to taste. Don’t worry too much at this point about mixing everything in. Cover with a lid and let it cook down a bit. After about 10 minutes on medium-low heat, uncover and give everything a nice mix. Put the lid back on and cook until the greens are soft. The greens will release water and, because the lid is on, they will cook in their own steam. Once the greens are soft to your liking, remove the lid and let any excess water evaporate for a few minutes. Add a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Serve in a pile on a dish, then garnish with some sliced red chillies and chopped fresh coriander. Recipe 2 - Saag Aloo (Spinach, Chard and Potatoes) Ingredients 500 g spinach and rainbow chard (including stalks) 250–300 g potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks 150 g red onions, thinly sliced 2 green chillies, sliced (adjust to taste) 4 tbsp olive oil Salt, to taste A generous squeeze of lemon juice A few sprigs fresh coriander ⸻ Recipe Wash the spinach and chard thoroughly. Gather into a bunch and slice into strips, including the stalks. Set aside. Cut the potatoes into small, even chunks so they cook at the same rate. Thinly slice the onions and chillies. For less heat, remove the seeds from the chillies. Adjust the heat from chillies to your liking. Heat the olive oil in a large, shallow pan over medium heat. Add the onions and chillies with a pinch of salt. Cook until the onions soften. Add the greens on top of the onions and sprinkle with a little more salt. Scatter the potatoes over the greens. Cover with a lid and cook on low to medium heat, allowing the potatoes to steam in the moisture released by the greens. Once the potatoes are tender, remove the lid and cook for some time to allow any excess moisture to evaporate. The mixture should be soft but not watery. Finish with a generous squeeze of lemon juice. Garnish with fresh coriander and, if you like, a few extra slices of green chilli. #Saag #SaagAloo #IndianFood #VegetarianRecipes #VeganRecipes #IndianRecipes #VillageCooking #RuralIndia #HomeCooking #SeasonalCooking #SpinachRecipes #ComfortFood #FoodStories #WholesomeFood #TraditionalCooking #FarmToTable #SlowCooking #CuratingTheTable