Red Saag and Omra

Red Saag and Omra is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe from the 1860s for a classic vegetarian dish of red saag (red amaranth leaves) cooked in a spiced sauce made from sour plums (omra). The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic Anglo-Indian version of: Red Saag and Omra.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

100 minutes

Total Time:

120 minutes

Serves:

4–6

Rating:

Tags : Curry Vegetarian Recipes Spice Recipes Fusion Recipes British Recipes

This is a traditional Anglo-Indian recipe redacted from the volume THE INDIAN COOKERY BOOK: A Practical Handbook to The Kitchen in India (author unknown), published by: WYMAN & CO., HARE STREET CALCUTTA circa 1869.

Original Recipe

82.—Red Saug and Omra

Half an anna's worth of any saug will suffice for a party of four, for curries made of greens, such as spinach, &c. The following condiments, &c., are used:—One chittack and a half of mustard oil, four tspfuls of ground onions, one tspful of ground chilies, half a tspful of ground turmeric, a quarter of a tspful of ground garlic, one tspful and a half of ground salt, and one cupful of water.

The omra should be peeled, and half fried if large. Great care must be taken to thoroughly clean and wash the greens. Put them into a colander and allow all the water to drain away. Then warm the oil, and fry the ground condiments; then the saug and omra, and when crisp add the water and cook over a slow fire until the greens and omra are tender.

Modern Redaction

The red saag in this recipe is red amaranth greens, you can substitute spinach or rapeseed greens. The omra took longer to track down, but it appears to be a sour plum, the hog's plum.

Ingredients

400g red saag (red amaranth greens) or spinach or rapeseed greens, thoroughly washed and drained
100g omra (hog's plum) or any sour (ie unripe plum), peeled
90ml mustard oil
4 tsp onions, ground to a paste
1 tsp ground chillies
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp garlic, ground to a paste
1 tsp salt
250ml water
ghee or butter, for frying

Method:

Heat ghee or butter in a pan, add the peeled plums and fry for about 6 minutes, or until part-cooked. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.

Add the oil to the butter remaining in the pan. When it stops foaming, add the spices and stir-fry for 1 minutes. Chop the red saag and add to the pan along with the plums. Fry until the greens have wilted and are starting to crisp up then stir in enough water to just cover the contents of the pan.

Bring to a simmer, cover the pan and cook for about 40 minutes, or until the sauce is thick and the fruit are tender. Serve hot and be careful of the plum stones.

Find more Victorian Recipes Here and more Curry Recipes Here. For the original version of The Indian Cookery book see my The Indian Cookery Book main page.