Saag is the dish I order whenever I go to an Indian restaurant, and this time of year, with silver beet and mustard both in bulk in the garden, one of my home cooking regulars. I posted a vegetarian Saag recipe a few weeks ago, in the Tuesday Night Vego Challenge series. This meat version is, sadly, no more photogenic. Traditionally mutton or goat are the meats used, but kangaroo is my red meat of choice these days, and it works really well in Saag.
The Recipe:
Serves two generously.
Heat a little olive oil in a big pot or pressure cooker.
Dice 500 grams of kangaroo steak and add it to the hot pot.
Into a cup, put:
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
- 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
- 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
- 1 teaspoon fennel or dill seeds
- the seeds from 5 cardamom pods
(It’s better if you use whole seeds for this)
As soon as the kangaroo meat starts to brown, add the seeds. You may need to add a little more oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, till the seeds start to pop. (Don’t let them burn).
Then add:
- 2 finely diced chilis (more or less, depending on how strong your chilis are and how spicy you like your food. Saag is more aromatic than hot though).
- 2 cloves of garlic
- a heaped teaspoon of grated or finely diced fresh ginger
- a heaped teaspoon of grated or finely diced fresh turmeric (or substitute a scant teaspoon of turmeric powder)
Cook stirring for a minute or two more, till the spices all coat the meat, then add:
- a cup of stock.
- the shredded leaves from a BIG bunch of silverbeet. Just the leaf stripped from the stem, chopped reasonably fine. It will be much more than you think should go in, but it reduces, and it’s the heart of the dish.
- 3 bay leaves
- 3 cm of cinnamon stick
Pressure cook for 15 minutes, or simmer for 40 minutes. If you simmer, you’ll need to add a bit more water.
It should end up with the meat and silver beet in a little bit of sauce. Take it off the heat and stir in 3 heaped dessertspoons of greek yoghurt. Stir vigorously to break up the silver beet and make the sauce creamy.
Serve over rice, and/or with naan bread.
Linda, this recipe sounds sooo good. I cannot get kangaroo meat here in the mountains of California, but I’m guessing beef will work.
Your soap recipe is divine: my family & friends reallly like using the soap I made with it. I do have one question.
How to I clean the Pringles cans before putting soap in them–or do I need to worry about salt? Thank you, Saundra
Enjoy you oncoming Springtime.
Hi Saundra, I’m glad you like the soap recipe. I’m just starting to think about this year’s batch. I’m guessing salt would not be good – there’s some chemistry in soap making and I would guess that sodium chloride would react. But a quick rinse should get rid of the salt without dissolving the cardboard, shouldn’t it?
I wonder if deer is your equivalent of our kangaroo?
Thank you for responding to my inquiry. I think you’re onto something with
deer meat as it’s wild, sustainable, and legal to take in season ( my oldest sons
are good hunters and would share with me).
Regards, Saundra
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Linda your recent silverbeet post was perfect timing for our huge glut at the moment. I’ve been trying to give it away but it seems that most people don’t know what to do with it or are already growing it. Tried out this saag recipe using leftover steak and it was absolutely delicious, will definitely be making it again. I was surprised that it didn’t need any added salt to taste seasoned. As an added bonus the worms get the silverbeet stems all blended up! Thanks for sharing.