”In this video I’m making a variety of dishes from common mallow which is an abundant under utilised green that grows pretty much everywhere. The reason I have chosen this ingredient is due to another member of the Mallow Family (Malva) called Jute Mallow which is a very common ingredient in many other countries.
GeorgeFlavour Fred
Common Mallow is an underutilised plant that grows abundantly in the UK. Many other cultures use its cousin (Jute Mallow) in a number of dishes and this video showcases my favourites!
Molokhia – Mallow Soup
Molokhia” or “Egyptian Molokheya” is a healthy soup that calls for chicken stock or bone broth and their benefits, I used vegetable stock.
The mallow family have an interesting texture and ability to thicken as it is mucilaginous, especially in the root. The original marshmallow was made from the root of the Marsh Mallow (now a protected plant in the UK). Nowadays I use it all the time and add to my bouquet garni when I want to thicken a stew or soup. Here it is simply cooked with onions, cumin seeds, veg stock and a whole bunch of fresh coriander is blended in at the end. Its delicious and healthy.
GREEN SHAKSHUKA WITH COMMON MALLOW
The recipe is very simple frying (in this order) onions, garlic, cumin seeds, plenty of common mallow, harissa, yogurt and then baked once the eggs are in and chopped herbs to finish. Enjoyed in a pita with harissa.
Hubeza / Khubeza Patties
Finally the “hubeza” patties are incredible and it is a very simple process of frying onions, garlic, cumin seeds and mixing with breadcrumbs (pita), eggs, coriander and seasoning. Once they are formed into patties it’s best to shallow fry and the consistency from the leaf is fantastic. You get this from all in the Malva (Mallow) family.
Mucilaginous texture does not sound tasty and mucilaginous-ness is not a word nor do I pronounce it well… but I continue to try. This is essentially the reason I love the Malva family as soups can be thickened, and the texture is perfect for shakshuka or these patties. The root of the Marsh Mallow (now protected in the UK) is key in making an authentic “marshmallow” and it’s as well as something I’ve used to thicken soups/stews/pie fillings. Im sure I will come back to this ingredient later in the year.
