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Chard Saag

The potatoes are hiding.

The chard in my garden has grown like crazy this summer. Previously my only chard recipe was this pizza, which is delicious, but it was time to branch out. After some Pinterest searching, I came across this recipe from Food.com for saag using chard. This kills two birds with one stone - it uses up some chard, and it also continues my quest for a good saag recipe. 

And it succeeded! This will be my go-to saag recipe for now, and I hope it works just as well with spinach when I don't have chard sitting around.

In addition to the fresh chard, I used potatoes that I grew, garlic that I grew, and onion that I got at a farm stand. With all of this freshness abounding, I felt a little weird using curry paste from a jar. But the flavor turned out to be really delicious. Some of my Indian recipes fail from either my unwillingness to measure spices or from not having fresh enough spices, so I might start using this curry paste more often. Actually, I will definitely start using it more often, because now I have the rest of the jar to use up.

My only modifications from the original recipe are that I added a sprinkle of salt and I used a LOT less oil. I also used Patak's mild curry paste instead of the Vindaloo curry paste, because that's what I could find in the store.

I included potatoes this time because I had them from the garden, but I'd like to try it with paneer next time.

EDIT: In an effort to use up some CSA mustard greens, I've since made this with about 70% mustard greens and 30% spinach and it was delicious.


The Recipe (taken from Food.com)
1 bunch swiss chard, chopped finely (I used a food processor)
2 tb vegetable oil
1 large or 2 small onions, minced
2 tb curry paste
1/2 c water
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 inches ginger, minced
optional: potatoes, paneer, or tofu
rice, plain yogurt, and Indian pickle for serving
  • Saute onions in oil until translucent
  • Add chard and stir about 3 minutes until wilted
  • Add curry paste, water, and salt. Stir, reduce heat, and simmer about 10 minutes.
  • Add garlic and ginger. Raise heat and stir another 2-3 minutes.
  • Optionally, fold in another element (potatoes, paneer, tofu, etc).
  • Serve over rice.


The Verdict:
Overall grade: A-
Overall reason: Easy with a food processor, healthy
Time to prepare: 30 minutes
Husband quote: "It's saag good."
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