Beef Saag

Indian cuisine is some of my favorite food, it reminds me a lot of Persian food but it’s distinctly different in its flavors (at least in my opinion). Where Persian food is more of a constant balance between sour, savory, and sweet, Indian (at least Northern Indian) cuisine seems to be more about savory and spicy. I think what I also love about Indian food is that it’s steeped in history, every dish seems to tell a tale about a region or a dynasty.

Saag is a common base in Indian cuisine, it’s a Northern Indian favorite that has finely chopped greens (usually spinach and mustard greens) intermingled with traditional Indian spices. The end result is a creamy and rich dish that makes spinach the star of the dish. If you don’t have access to mustard greens or prefer not to use them because let’s face it, mustard greens are in fact the worst, you can just use spinach. I prefer to use spinach with a few tablespoons of dried Persian herbs that really give the dish that kick that it needs.

My first interaction with this dish came via an unlikely source of Indian food which was my then very much white girlfriend (and now wife). Her family would always order Indian take-out when we first started dating, that concept was completely foreign to me because in my Persian household the only thing that we ever ordered out was Chinese food or Pizza. My early experiences with Indian carry-out had been by and large very disappointing. We (as in my family) had no clue how to order properly, so we always just ordered food that was way too spicy and not proper for novices to try. That all changed when I tried Indian food (again) with my Wife’s family.

*Funny side note, Saag if pronounced in Farsi means dog, so reading this on a menu for the first time led me to believe that this dish was some sort of bizarre canine inspired dish, obviously I could not have been more wrong and ignorant*

One of her favorite dishes was/is Palak Paneer, this is a Saag dish that sometimes is called Palak instead of Saag. Why? Because Saag by itself get’s called Palak ( I don’t know why). Saag dishes go way beyond just the use of paneer, Saag is often paired with Lamb (or beef if you don’t have access to it). I love making a Saag Gosht or Saag with meat because the rich herbal base is the perfect compliment to a hearty cut of beef or lamb. I recommend using a shoulder cut of lamb or beef because there’s just the right balance of fat to protein ratio in the meat to make the stew taste out of this world.

Once you make this dish, you’ll never look at Northern Indian cuisine the same again.

*This dish can be made sans meat or with a meaty veggie like mushrooms or with a paneer/tofu, up to you.*

Recipe – Saag Gosht

Ingredients

1 Chuck Roast ( or Lamb Shoulder cut into chunks)

2 Tsp Coriander

2 Tsp Cumin

1 Tbsp. Garam Masala

1/4 Tsp. Turmeric

1 Onion, finely diced

4 Cloves of Garlic

2 Tsp. Salt

4 Tbsp. Animal Fat (preferably chicken fat) (you can use butter or oil too)

1 Package of Frozen Chopped Spinach

2 Tbsp Sabzi

2 Cups of Chicken Broth

1/4 Cup of Cream (Optional)

Method

Step 1- In a large pot melt 2 tbsp. of your fat and heat it, once it starts to shimmer add in half of: your onions, garlic, and spices.

Step 2- Once they begin to soften, then add in your meat and cook until all sides are browned.

Step 3- Once the meat is browned, remove the meat from the pot and add in the rest of your fat. Once it begins to shimmer, add the balance of your onions, garlic, and spices.

Step 4- Once they soften, add in your spinach and dry sabzi. Add back in your meat once the herbs have cooked down and then add your broth. Stir often and allow this to simmer until the meat is completely soft (at least 3 to 4 hours).

Step 5- This part is optional, but you can add a bit of cream about 10 minutes before serving, it adds a rich buttery taste to the dish that really knocks it out of the park.  You want the consistency of this stew to be a very smooth spinachy slurry with big hunks of beef in there.

Serve over rice or eat with bread and enjoy!