Coconut Saag
Updated March 27, 2024
- Total Time
- 35 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 25 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 3tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2tablespoons coriander seeds
- 3green cardamom pods or ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom (freshly ground is best)
- 1small yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 1(½-inch) piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2garlic cloves, minced
- 1pound mustard greens, tough ends trimmed and greens roughly chopped, or fresh baby spinach (10 to 12 cups)
- ½lime, juiced
- 1small Indian green chile, serrano chile or Thai bird’s-eye chile, roughly chopped
- 1teaspoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton)
- 1(13-ounce) can coconut milk
- 1(12-ounce) block extra-firm tofu or 1 (8-ounce) package paneer, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1½tablespoons coconut oil
- 2teaspoons cumin seeds
- ¼teaspoon asafetida (optional, but really fantastic)
- ¼teaspoon red chile powder, such as cayenne or Kashmiri
- Rice or roti, for serving
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
560 calories; 40 grams fat; 24 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 38 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 17 grams protein; 780 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a large, deep pan or Dutch oven over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil. Once it shimmers, add the coriander and cardamom and toast the spices until fragrant and starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the onion and cook until soft and translucent, 5 to 6 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the ginger and garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute more.
- Step 2
Add the mustard greens, a large handful at a time, and cook until just wilted and still bright green. Don’t overcook the greens!
- Step 3
Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the lime juice, chile and salt. Let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a blender (or use an immersion blender) and blend into a chunky paste. Return the mixture to the same pan over low heat. Stir in the coconut milk, then gently stir in tofu. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes more, until the tofu is warmed through and has soaked up some of the sauce.
- Step 4
While the tofu cooks, in a small pan or butter warmer over medium-high heat, melt the coconut oil. Add the cumin seeds, and once they start to brown and dance around in the pan, about 1 minute, remove the pan from the heat and stir in the asafetida, if using, and red chile powder.
- Step 5
Pour the coconut oil mixture over the saag, and serve with rice or roti.
Private Notes
Comments
This is the first nyt recipe I've ever commented on, I'm that taken aback by how good this turned out. After reading other's comments, I dry toasted the coriander seeds and cardamom seeds and then ground them in a spice grinder, before cooking them with the onions in the oil. I also added a hint of chili powder and turmeric to the onions. If using store bought paneer, I'd recommend soaking the cut pieces in warm water while cooking the rest of the recipe - makes it much softer!
I plan to make this with mature spinach, maybe even frozen, as I find cooked baby spinach has less flavor - it is great raw in salads etc. but not as lush as the older versions when cooked. Age is sometimes a good thing. ;0)
I make this all the time as a riff on Hawaiian squid / chicken lu’au. You’re better off using a few boxes of frozen spinach and squeezing all the water out with a cloth or paper towel and giving it a coarse chop. If you use fresh spinach you’ll need a boatload and will be waiting forever for all that liquid to reduce.
Thank you Priya for this recipe! It’s in regular rotation in our house. I use fresh baby spinach, and the vibrant green color is so wonderful. I use a Vitamix and have not had the issues with unpleasant texture from the spices. I do tend to amp up the spices, ginger, and garlic a bit. For such a flavor-packed, gorgeous dish, it comes together pretty quickly and easily. I also love the video with Priya and her cookbook!
Meh. I love saag paneer. I followed totally, using dried herbs and paneer. I added chili crisp as suggested, and dried red pepper flakes. Still bland and boring.
I’ve made this recipe twice, once with paneer and the other time with tofu, using fresh spinach and subbing powdered spices for most of the seed suggestions. I would recommend doctoring it with some chili crisp—you could maybe even skip the chili sauce the recipe calls for. My take is that paneer is a lot better than tofu, because the latter is too bland and stands out compared to the delicious spinach sauce. Perhaps the tofu could be marinated in soy sauce or salted to better effect? In any case, it’s a great recipe!