Most people reach for the spinach leaves when making dal palak and quietly throw the stems away. Fair enough, the leaves are what you notice first. But if the stalks are young, crisp and fresh, there’s really no reason to bin them. They soften nicely while the dal cooks and add a gentle sweetness and a bit more texture to the finished dish.
Look At The Stems Before You Chop
Fresh spinach should have stems that look firm and juicy. Give a bunch a quick look before washing it. If the stalks are still crisp and the leaves haven’t gone soggy, you have perfectly usable stems. This is one advantage of good vegetable delivery. The produce can reach you without spending as much time being handled, squeezed and moved around with other vegetables.
Don’t Throw The Stalks Away
The thicker stems need a little more cooking than the leaves, but that doesn’t mean they belong in the bin. Slice them fairly small, particularly if they are thick near the bottom of the bunch. They can go into the dal before the leaves so they have enough time to soften.
You’ll still get the spinach flavour, but the stalks bring their own mild sweetness to the pot.
Add Them At The Right Time
Start your dal as you normally would. Once the lentils are cooked and you’re adding the spinach, put the chopped stems in first and give them a few minutes. Then add the leaves. The leaves wilt almost immediately, while the stems need a little longer to become tender.
Don’t overcook them into nothing, though. The nicest result is when they are soft enough to bite through but still have a little substance.
Freshness Shows Up In The Pot
Old spinach tends to collapse quickly. The leaves may be limp before you even start cooking, and the stems can become stringy or dry. Fresh bunches are different. The stems contain plenty of water and soften nicely as they cook, which is why they can add such a pleasant texture to dal.
A grocery store can be useful when ordering greens because you can choose your produce along with the rest of your weekly ingredients without making a separate trip.
Handle Spinach Gently
Spinach doesn’t need rough handling. If it arrives crushed underneath heavier vegetables, the leaves and stalks can bruise before you’ve even washed them. Once home, remove any damaged bits, wash the spinach thoroughly and dry it as well as you reasonably can before chopping.
Let The Stems Add Their Own Flavour
The stems aren’t going to make your dal taste dramatically different. They add a mild sweetness and something to chew alongside the soft lentils and wilted leaves. It makes the dal feel a little less one-note. When ordering a vegetable delivery, look for firm and fresh spinach. Good produce handling makes a difference before you even start cooking.
Use The Whole Bunch
The next time you cook dal palak, include the young stems in with the lentils right from the beginning. While ordering fresh spinach from a grocery store can be a step in the right direction, the real master key is in the kitchen. Fresh stems, cut small and given enough time to cook, can add a surprisingly nice sweetness and texture to an otherwise very soft dal.
