”Quite often I see dishes with Jute Mallow (corchorus olitorius) and wonder about using the many Malva species. Most recently I used Tree Mallow (Lavatera Martima) for a Dolma dish but if you can cast your mind back (or search my highlights/reels) you’ll fine I made a bunch of dishes using common mallow. Including green leaf patties (Hubeza), Molokhia soup, & green shakshuka.
GeorgeFlavour Fred
All delicious and I’ve always loved seeing the Molokhia as an ingredient in shops although I don’t see it as often as I’d like. A particular Tunisian stew like dish always looked so great and a wonderful way to use this highly nutritious green. The mucilage transforms in the cooking process to give great complexity in flavour and texture.
As with the whole family there is a musilage that is present in many plants but most know for being a vital part of making marsh mallow (from the root of this protected plant). Its flavour once prepared is something special and I believe through various methods creates magical flavours. Cacao is in this family for instance and there are many people who use the tillia sp to make a chocolate substitute through fermentation and roasting.
Anyhow we wont go down that route this time around a long slow and low cook of the Tree Mallow once dried and powdered along with garlic, caraway, coriander seed, turmeric, beetroot, pepper & chilli, water & salt. The result was a dark thick flavourful stew that was truly divine.
