What is rayo ko saag?

Rayo ko saag is Nepali mustard greens — a broad, peppery leaf cooked quickly with garlic and timur as an everyday side to dal-bhat. It is also the leaf traditionally fermented into gundruk.

How do you cook rayo ko saag so it is not bitter?

Cook it fast in hot oil with plenty of garlic and do not cover the pan — trapped steam accentuates bitterness. A pinch of salt early and a little timur at the end balance it.

Where can I buy fresh rayo ko saag in Canada?

Danphe Stores stocks it fresh and ships to most cities across Canada. Call 236-471-5891 to order — we also deliver throughout Metro Vancouver and you can pick up in Vancouver.

Is your rayo ko saag grown in Canada?

Yes — Canadian-grown and cut fresh, which is why the leaves arrive crisp instead of tired. Nothing here is air-freighted in.

Fresh Rayo ko Saag (Mustard greens) from Danphe Stores

In stock in store

🌿 Grown in Canada

Rayo ko Saag

Mustard greens

If a Nepali kitchen has one green on the stove, it is usually rayo. The broad mustard leaf cooks down in minutes into a peppery, faintly bitter saag that sits beside dal-bhat almost every day of the cold months. Ours is grown on Canadian farms and cut fresh.

Call 236-471-5891 Visit the store

Grown in Canada, in stock right now. We ship to most cities across Canada, deliver throughout Metro Vancouver, and you can pick up in store.

Also known as: rayo saag · raayo ko saag · mustard greens · Nepali saag · sarson saag

What it tastes like

Distinctly mustardy — a horseradish-like sharpness in the raw leaf that mellows into something rounder and slightly bitter once it hits hot oil. Younger leaves are tender and mild; the bigger ones stand up to longer cooking and more garlic.

How it is used

Chop it, temper garlic (and dried chilli, if you like) in mustard oil, add the leaves with a pinch of turmeric and salt, and cook uncovered until the water has gone. A grind of timur at the end is what makes it taste like home rather than like any other sautéed green. Rayo is also the leaf that becomes gundruk when it is fermented and dried.

Keeping it

Use within three or four days. Store unwashed in the fridge wrapped in a cloth or paper — washing before storing is what turns a good bunch slimy. Blanched and squeezed dry, it freezes for a couple of months.

Questions

What is rayo ko saag?: Rayo ko saag is Nepali mustard greens — a broad, peppery leaf cooked quickly with garlic and timur as an everyday side to dal-bhat. It is also the leaf traditionally fermented into gundruk.
How do you cook rayo ko saag so it is not bitter?: Cook it fast in hot oil with plenty of garlic and do not cover the pan — trapped steam accentuates bitterness. A pinch of salt early and a little timur at the end balance it.
Where can I buy fresh rayo ko saag in Canada?: Danphe Stores stocks it fresh and ships to most cities across Canada. Call 236-471-5891 to order — we also deliver throughout Metro Vancouver and you can pick up in Vancouver.
Is your rayo ko saag grown in Canada?: Yes — Canadian-grown and cut fresh, which is why the leaves arrive crisp instead of tired. Nothing here is air-freighted in.

How to order Rayo ko Saag

Fresh greens aren't on our online store yet, so they're ordered by phone. Call 236-471-5891 and we'll ship to most cities across Canada, deliver anywhere in Metro Vancouver, or set it aside for pickup at 3634 East Hastings St, Vancouver, BC. Stock changes with every shipment, so calling ahead is the surest way to get what you want.