Spoon-tender pieces of lamb or your favorite meat simmered in a rich, spiced sauce. A good saag is a fantastic way to cook with fresh greens I come back to again and again.
What is Lamb Saag?
Lamb saag (goat and other meats can be used too) is a curry made with pieces of slow cooked lamb in a spiced sauce of pureed greens, onions and spices. Like most curries, it can be served with flatbread, naan, roti or rice. The dish is very popular all over India, but especially in North India.
Lamb Saag Ingredients
While spinach is usually used in Indian restaurant style saag, red spinach (an amaranth pictured below) and mustard greens are also traditional. In the north in high altitudes, cold weather greens like collards are used.
In Kashmir nettles are known as soi and appreciated as a food and medicine. I don't know of them as a traditional saag green, but they make a great substitute for spinach with their deep green color and flavor.
The other ingredients are onion, garlic, tomato, green chili (serrano) and spices like garum masala, cumin seed, coriander and optional fenugreek leaves. I also add a small amount of homemade yogurt when I puree the sauce.
How to Make Lamb Saag
In this recipe for lamb saag, the meat is dry-brined overnight to encourage browning. The next day the meat is browned in batches, then stock or water is added and the meat is cooked until tender.
Next you sweat onions, garlic, ginger chili and spices together, add steamed or blanched greens and puree the sauce in a blender. Finally the meat is added back to the pot and simmered for a few minutes with the sauce and served.
Chef's Tips
- If you have time, salt the meat the night before and allow it to sit in the refrigerator uncovered to dry out for the best browning.
- If you can swing it, lamb shank meat makes one of the most tender curries.
- Look for an Indian grocer to find fenugreek leaves (Kasoor Methi). If you're in the Twin Cities Little India carries them. You can also buy fenugreek leaves online.
- For a more traditional cut of meat, use bone-in lamb or goat meat from a Middle Eastern market, or meaty beef soup bones.
- Serve it with a dollop of yogurt, toasted nuts, fresh chopped cilantro and steamed rice or flatbreads.
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Lamb Saag
Equipment
- Dutch oven
- Blender
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 lb lamb diced shoulder lamb shank, or stew meat
- 2 cups water
Saag
- 2 tablespoons ghee I like to use coconut oil
- 5 g ginger
- 10 g garlic
- 1 serrano chili seeds removed
- 4 oz yellow onion (1 small) diced
- ½ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon garum masala
- 1 teaspoon cumin seed or ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon coriander seed or ground coriander
- 1 cup reserved lamb cooking liquid
- ½ tablespoon dried fenugrek leaves (kasoor methi) optional
- 2 teaspoon tomato paste
- ¼ cup yogurt
- 6 oz spinach, red spinach/amaranth or nettles
- Kosher salt to taste
Instructions
Dry-brine the lamb
- Season the lamb with the salt and allow to rest overnight.
Greens
- Steam the greens until just wilted-about 2 minutes. Spread the greens out on a tray to cool naturally.
Brown the lamb and braise until tender
- Brown the lamb in the dutch oven. Add the stock or water and cook, covered at a gentle simmer until the lamb is tender. Pour the lamb and its liquid into a bowl and cover with cling film.
Build the Saag
- Wipe out the dutch oven, then add the oil, cumin, coriander, onion, garlic, ginger and serrano chili. Sweat for a minute, then add the spices, and tomato paste, stir, and cook a few minutes more.
- Add the greens and heat just to warm through, then add ¾ cup of the reserved lamb stock and heat until hot, but not simmering.
- Transfer the mixture to a blender along with the yogurt and puree on low speed, moving slowly up to high to make a smooth puree. Add a little extra stock if you need to get it smooth.
- Pour the puree back into the cooking pot with the lamb, heat through until hot, double check the seasoning for salt and adjust until it tastes good to you, then
- Serve with hot rice, naan or flatbreads. Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro, mint, or a combination, dollops of yogurt and a sprinkle of toasted nuts.
Lamb
Saag
Video
Notes
- You can add one black cardamom pod for a special flavor.
- While not traditional, pomegranate seeds make a nice garnish.
- Use your favorite green or a combination of different ones.
Sonia
Hi! This looks delicious but i just had a quick question. After you brown the lamb, you simmer it until tender. About how long are we talking about? Thank you!
Alan Bergo
Hey Sonja, sorry If that wasn’t clear. Cut into small soup pieces it should take about 45 minutes to an hour, max. I’ll adjust the recipe to make sure that’s clear.
Kate
This is the best spinach recipe! Way better than restaurant saag!! I'm excited to try it with foraged greens. I love that the spinach is minimally cooked and retains all the nutrients. I didn't blanch or steam the spinach ahead, I just wilted it in the pot after I'd added everything else, then transferred to my Vitamix.
I made a double batch of the sauce, it's great for power bowls with leftover tandoori chicken..
I also made the mushroom pilau, with dried chanterelles and lobster mushrooms we foraged. It's definitely feel good food.
Olga
Hello! Thank you so much for the recipe. It turned out awesome!
I've just made it, used 50:50 nettles and fireweed (which is quite common in Russia, and there are now tender shoots).
The color, the taste, all is 100 of 10. Never expected that indian cuisine is so good with local plants.
Alan Bergo
Thanks Olga, I really like this recipe.
Jenny
Would the purée freeze well if I wanted to make this later when nettles were out of season?
Alan Bergo
Yes, absolutely. You could make it with or without meat and freeze the puree in a block.
Sam
Looks like a good use [for stinging nettles. Have you made saag with lambsquarters? Also, do you not think fresh/frozen fenugreek leaves are preferred over dried?