[Swisskaese]

zeitoun, on Dec 9 2004, 06:10 PM, said:

This is one of my absolute favorites.  Although the origin of molokhieh as i understand it is Egyptian, we make our own incredible version of it in Lebanon. I have tried to make it at home but cannot quite replicate the phenomenal ones I've had growing up.
Molokhieh (any translation in English?) is a type of leaf that is stewed in broth with lots of cilantro and boiled onions.  It is normally served with rice and topped with shredded chicken and a minced onion/ lemon or vinegar mixture.  I tend to use frozen Molokhieh leafs which you can find at some Middle Eastern groceries here in NY. I one time (and one time only) found it fresh at the green market.  I could not believe it!?!?  Any good recipes or tips out there?

Molokhieh is called Mallow. You can also make this dish with mangold (swiss chard) or spinach if you can't find it where you live.

[jackal10]

We discussed this in the summer. I even grew some
Discussion with pictures and recipies:

http://forums.egulle...showtopic=20445

[zeitoun]

Thanks for the info jackal10, it is very helpful. I would have never know that "Mallow" was the title for the molokhieh thread!

I like my molokhieh gooey, but i just can't achieve the desired consistency. Is it because I use frozen leaves? Also, what should the ratio of molokhieh to cilantro be and at what stage is the cilantro added? I have heard that broth added in stages (almost like risotto) instead of all at once helps make the soup more cohesive. I tried it and was not happy with the result. Obviously, I am doing something wrong!!!!!

[Wolfert]

Zeitoun, you're right. Mallow isn't Molokhiya or Jew’s mallow. Mallow is khobiza which is also viscous but very different in flavor and appearance.



When I lived in Connecticut my local Middle Eastern grocer sold molokhiya seeds each spring to members of the local Druse community who wanted to plant their own for late summer harvest. I tried it but was very discouraged by the difficulty of removing each leaf from the stalk without releasing the substance at the joint that creates excessive gooiness. So I started using the frozen ones from Egypt which provided just the right amount of viscous texture to soup. Perhaps this hint from Egyptian food writer Nora George will help: It is important to know when using the frozen leaves that they should be cooked over medium heat and served immediately after reaching the boiling point.

By the way, don't you think molokhieh should be a midday lunch dish because it provokes a siesta? Or am I just eating too much?

This post has been edited by Wolfert: 09 December 2004 - 10:28 AM

[Rien]

Wolfert, on Dec 9 2004, 10:27 AM, said:

Zeitoun, you're right. Mallow isn't  Molokhiya or Jew’s mallow. Mallow is khobiza which is also viscous but very different in flavor and appearance.

What? For real? I've seen Molokhiya (or one of the seemingly infinite variant spellings) referred to in many a cookbook as jew's mallow. Off the top of my head, I believe both Clifford Wright and Claudia Roden refer to it as such.

Is this one of those pernicious mis-information memes? Seems like this can create a couple odd effects: 1) people are using mallow thinking it's Molokhiya; and the inverse, 2) Molokhiya is being labeled as mallow. I feel like I've seen frozen packages with both the words molokhiya and mallow on them.

Interesting.

rien

[Wolfert]

Rien, on Dec 9 2004, 10:51 AM, said:

[

What? For real? I've seen Molokhiya (or one of the seemingly infinite variant spellings)[QUOTE]



Jew's Mallow or Molokhiya is Corchorus olitorius. Mallow or Khobiza is Malva.
Molokhiya is used in cooking in Egypt, Lebanon, Turkish Cyprus and along the Mediterranean coast of Turkey. It may be used elsewhere but it isn't served on the North African table. On the other hand, khobiza or mallow is served throughout the Middle East and North Africa.

They both have a soft creamy quality when cooked.

This post has been edited by Wolfert: 09 December 2004 - 11:23 AM

[Behemoth]

Do you have to do anything to the fresh leaves? I seem to remember a dish where (even) my grandmother would always send it out to some village lady for cleaning, but I can't remember if it was molokhia or some sort of nettle. Same sort of chicken-stock based stew with rice, whatever it was.

That's a dish that seems to skip generations. My cousins and I love it, our parents all hate it, so we never learned how to make it. (My grandmother's version was the one I loved, so it couldnt' have been her fault...)

[FoodMan]

NOTE: Both Molokhiya threads have been merged.

edit to add: and the title edited to more clearly define the subject matter

[Wolfert]

I have a correction to make about miloukhia in North Africa: In Tunisia the leaves are dried, ground and pressed through a fine sieve then used to make an extraordinarily rich blackish green sauced dish for beef or lamb called mloukhia.

This post has been edited by Wolfert: 09 December 2004 - 01:39 PM

[zeitoun]

Wolfert, on Dec 9 2004, 12:27 PM, said:

Perhaps this hint from Egyptian food writer Nora George will help: It is important to know when using the frozen leaves that they should be cooked over medium heat and served immediately after reaching the boiling point.

By the way, don't you think molokhieh should be a midday lunch dish because it provokes a siesta? Or am I just eating too much?

Molokhiah is just one of those dishes that you can't eat enough. In my eyes, it is the absolute paradigm of middle eastern comfort food (with the simple but oh so good laban ou riz). You will feel comatose if you ingest too much of it!!

Thanks for the cooking tip, I’ll try that next time.

[Wolfert]

[/QUOTE] Molokhiah is just one of those dishes that you can't eat enough. In my eyes, it is the absolute paradigm of middle eastern comfort food (with the simple but oh so good laban ou riz). You will feel comatose if you ingest too much of it!! [QUOTE]


After reading your post and thinking of a new herbal\medical breakthrough in our future for safe sleeping pills, I called a friend from Tunisia and asked her why the concentrated powdered version of molokhiah, the only kind used in her country, didn't produce sleepiness.

The conversation went sort of this way:

"If you remember no one ever serves it to you in large portions." she said

"I always thought they did this because it was a dish you either loved or hated." I responded.

"no, no," she told me '" you may love it or hate it but your intestines love it! We usually only serve it on New Year's day to celebrate a clean house. "

" Is that why I never see it on menus in restaurants?" I asked.

"Most probably, yes. A customer from abroad might think he knows the dish and order it and be disappointed with the serving size."

" oh, I get it." I said. " if the customer ate a lot he would have a case of tourist tummy and think he had a case of food poisoning. "

This post has been edited by Wolfert: 10 December 2004 - 10:34 AM

[FoodMan]

Interesting conversation Wolfert. Thanks for sharing.
There is one thing I am not getting here, are we saying that Molokhiya causes sleepiness? Personally I never noticed this. I've eaten a couple of bowls at a time with no problem.

Elie

[Wolfert]

Please note that in the Tunisian version of molokhiya in its very concentrated powdery form there could be some ingredient that is a soporific .

This post has been edited by Wolfert: 19 January 2005 - 01:06 PM

[zeitoun]

Wolfert, on Jan 19 2005, 03:02 PM, said:

Please note that in  the Tunisian version of molokhiya in its very concentrated powdery form there could be  some ingredient that is a soporific .

Are these added ingredients? Is this coming from the molokhiah leaf itself?

[Wolfert]

The package is 100%pure molokhiah.

The dish is made in the following way for 8 people:
1 pound beef or veal or lamb is marinated in a mix of garlic, harissa, coriander, caraway, rosebuds, cinnamon bay leaf and orange rind. While the meat is soaking up the flavors, about 1/3 cup of molokhiah is slowly combined with 3/4 cup of cool olive oil in a large pot. The two are heated together, stirring, until a boil is reached. Then about 2 quarts of water is mixed in. The liquid slowly cooks for a few hours. Finally it is combined with the marinated meat and simmered over very low heat for another few hours.

The sauce is black and shiny.

[zeitoun]

This method of cooking and serving is a pretty drastic departure from the Lebanese version of molokhiah. As noted upthread by Foodman, I've had many Lebanese molokhiah(s) in the past, I've never noticed its soporific effects.

[FoodMan]

Wolfert, on Jan 19 2005, 03:25 PM, said:

The package is 100%pure molokhiah.

The dish is made in the following way for 8 people:
1 pound beef or veal or lamb is marinated in a mix of garlic, harissa, coriander, caraway, rosebuds, cinnamon bay leaf and orange rind. While the meat is soaking up the flavors, about 1/3 cup of molokhiah is slowly combined with 3/4 cup of cool olive oil in a large pot. The two are  heated together, stirring, until a boil is reached. Then about 2 quarts of water  is mixed in. The liquid slowly cooks for a few hours.  Finally it is combined with the marinated meat and simmered over very low heat for another few  hours.

The sauce is black and shiny.

wow...many thanks for sharing the process. like zeitoun said, 'we are not cooking Lebanese Moloukhiya anymore' . This is a totally different dish and cannot be compared to the one I know. It would be like comparing a spinach lasagna and a Spinakopita(sp?) because they both contain spinach.

Elie

[Daniel Rogov]

Mallow did indeed originatedin Egypt but this is one of the most popular of
the "free foods" found in Jersualem today. Sometimes known as poor man's
bread, mallow is an herb with dark green leaves, showy flours and a
disk-shaped fruits. Because it thrives in even the poorest or most
rocky soils, this is one of the oldest inhabitants of the Middle-
East and for 3,000 years the children of the city have enjoyed
eating its fruits just for fun. Most modern day Jerusalemites
refer to mallow by its Arabic or Latin names - hubeza or malva, as
opposed to the more modern Hebrew name, helmonit.

Even though no-one has ever ranked mallow with the true culinary
treats of the world, no one has ever scoffed at it. For centuries,
the poor have used the leaves in salads and some medical people
and healers continue, even today, to use mallow-flowers in
poultices and infusions of mallow leaves to relieve chestpains.

More importantly, modern cooks have realized that the young
leaves of the mallow plant can be delightful when served in
salads, that the buds of the flowers can be sauteed gently in oil,
seasoned with allspice and used as a garnish with meat and fish
dishes and that the mature leaves can be used in making a large
variety of recipes. In each of the following recipes, if mallow is
not available you can substitute either spinach or Swiss chard.

Mallow Pie

2 lb. (900 gr) mallow leaves, washed well
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 lb. (115 gr.) Gruyere cheese, grated
3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup spring onions, chopped
3 oz. (85 gr.) philo pastry leaves (strudle-leaf pastry)
salt and pepper to taste

Shake off as much water from the mallow as possible. In a heavy
skillet heat 2 Tbsp. of the butter and the olive oil and in this
saute the mallow, covered, over a high flame, until steam appears.
Reduce the flame and simmer until the mallow is tender (5 - 6
minutes). With a slotted spoon remove the mallow from the skillet
and chop coarsely. Return to the skillet and season to taste with
salt and pepper.

In a small mixing bowl combine the cheeses, spring onions and salt
and pepper to taste. Add this mixture to the mallow and mix well.

Butter a square casserole dish or cake tin and in the bottom place
6 leaves of the philo dough. Brush the top of each leaf with
butter before covering with the next leaf. Over these spread the
prepared mallow and cheese mixture. Cover this with 6 more leaves
of the dough, again buttering the leaves and also buttering the
top. Be sure that the edges of the pastry are well buttered and
bake in a medium oven for 30 - 40 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes
and invert on a baking dish. Return to the oven until the top is
crisp and golden-brown (about 10 minutes). Serve hot or at room
temperature. (Serves 4 - 6).

Mallow Soup

1 lb. (450 gr.) mallow leaves
3 Tbsp. butter
3 eggs
juice of 1 large lemon or more to taste
salt and pepper to taste
6 cup chicken stock, hot
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, rated
1 cup toasted bread croutons

Remove the heavy stems from the mallow and wash well under running
water. Dry the leaves on paper towelling. In a heavy skillet melt
the butter and in this saute the mallow leaves until just tender.

In a small mixing bowl beat together the eggs, lemon juice, salt
and peper. Add 3 Tbsp. of the hot stock and beat well. Add this
mixture to the hot chicken stock and then add the mallow. Mix
briskly, garnish with the cheese and croutons and serve hot.
(Serves 6 - 8).

[Wolfert]

Mr. Rogov:The recipes look great. Thanks for sharing them.


I have collected mallow aka khobeiza aka malva sylvestris here in California. I've steamed the stemmed leaves with garlic until tender then combined the leaves and garlic with salt, harissa, ground coriander, and ground caraway. I beat the mixture the way they do it in Tunisia adding hot water and olive oil until it turned creamy. Delicious as a dip with semolina bread.
www.elba-capoliveri.net/associazioni/erbario/malva.htm

I think I mentioned this earlier but when I lived in Connecticut my local Middle Eastern grocer sold molokhia aka Jew's mallow aka corchorus olitorius seeds to local customers for spring planting.http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/research/AsianVeg/misc.htm

This post has been edited by Wolfert: 23 January 2005 - 04:46 PM

[FoodMan]

Daniel-
Thanks for sharing these recipes. Can you elaborate more on the origin of these preparations? Are they restaurant recipes or have you experienced them at someone's home?

Elie

[Daniel Rogov]

Elie, Hi...

Both of the recipes come from the first incarnation of Jerusalem restaurant "Eucalyptus"... back in the good old days (were there really such days?) during which they were located not on a stylish restaurant-filled street but in a small industrial area in the city.