Saag is the Hindi word to describe leafy vegetables. Growing up, my dad would make huge pots of saag with a variety of greens he grew in our backyard. Mustard greens, amaranth greens, fenugreek, swiss chard, kale, all of it!
Saag is a staple South Asian dish that originated in Punjab: a state in North India that’s currently leading the farmer’s revolution in South Asia. Without the hard work of these farmers, we wouldn’t be able to celebrate the bright colors of Spring. My bhang saag is a tribute to the legacy of farmers across the world who fought and are still fighting to preserve our sacred land.
This recipe uses bhang infused ghee to medicate our saag. I used my Ardent FX to infuse our saag, but you can find the stovetop method here. Ghee is a great way to medicate all your favorite foods. In a recent study done by Ardent, we learned that ghee has a 90% infusion rate. That means 90% of the cannabinoids in the flower used are extracted into your final infused product.
The magic of saag comes from slowly adding ghee or clarified butter before turning off the heat so that the ghee browns and the greens kinda drown in the caramelized butter. Our recipe calls for bhang infused ghee and vegetable oil (so you don’t get too high), but feel free to adjust to your preferred strength.
Our bhang saag recipe is sponsored by Ardent and was featured on their page as a part of Holi 2021. Their Ardent FX & Nova Decarboxylators are a discreet smell-free solution to decarb, infusion & edibles. They make it so easy to infuse all of my favorite foods. Plus, it's Black owned! Get yours here.
To make Bhang Saag you’ll need:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
16-20 ounces any mixed greens, finely chopped (mustard, kale, spinach work well)
½ onion, diced
1 inch piece of ginger, grated
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tomato, diced
1 tsp ground cumin
1 cinnamon stick
¼ cup bhang infused ghee (adjust to your preferred strength)
Salt and chili powder to taste
A blender, stick blender, or hand held potato masher (this is what helps make the greens “creamy”)
In a large pot, heat the vegetable oil under medium high heat. Once hot, saute the onions, garlic, and ginger until golden brown.
Add the tomatoes, cumin, and cinnamon stick; saute until soft.
Add the greens and top with the lid. Lower the heat to medium.
Check on your greens every 5 minutes and give them a little stir. They will slowly start to wilt, water and turn dark green. Keep cooking them until all the water evaporates (about 15-20 minutes!)
If you’re using a stick blender or a blender, turn the stove off and blend your greens until smooth and transfer back to pot. If you’re using a hand held potato masher, turn your stove to low heat and smash the saag (greens) while adding a teaspoon of water at a time to prevent burning.
Turn the stove back on to medium high heat and add ¼ cup of your bhang infused ghee to the saag. Let the ghee bubble until light golden brown (a minute or two), then turn the stove off. Your bhang saag will go best with hot makki roti (corn tortillas), fluffy basmatic rice or naan.
Recipe Yields: 4 servings