Malva – Common Mallow is a delicious plant to eat, its texture can be described as soft to viscous. Mallow has beautiful pinkish-purplish flowers that can be seen along roadside edges, bushes and field edges.
Leaves and stems can be eaten fresh in salads. Also, the seeds are edible. The leaves can be used as an elegant garnish or sautéed with oil, salt and vinegar.
Malva can be cooked in the same way as we cook spinach, especially a combination of bulgur and tomato paste is classic but delicious.
Large leaves can be used in stuffing. So you can make delicious dolmades.
As with many wild food plants, the common mallow has a long history of medical use. Due to its high mucilage content, it is an excellent sedative and soothing, especially for cases of inflammation for the urine, digestive or respiratory systems.
Practical Mallow Recipe
Ingredients:
150 gr. common mallow
1 large onion
1 cup of rice
2 cloves of garlic
1 tablespoon of olive oil or 1/2 cup vegetable stock
1/2 tablespoon tomato paste
1/2 cup shredded tomatoes
1 glass of water
1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions:
- Cut the onion and garlic finely and transfer to a large pan. Saute with olive oil if you use olive oil, saute the onions with vegetable juice if you want to make it without oil.
- Add the rice that you have washed and drained and fry with onions for a minute.
- Then add tomato paste, diced tomato and water and cook.
- When the rice has absorbed the water, add the mallow leaves and fry for a minute on low heat. Be sure to add the vegetables at the last stage and roast them gently to prevent them from dying. They will soften with steam and heat.
- Remove from the heat, serve on the plates, serve with avocado yogurt if you prefer.
How to make avocado yogurt?
Just like making guacamole sauce, put avocado, chopped onion, garlic, jalapeno, lemon juice and salt in the blender. In addition, add water to a slightly watery consistency. It should not be too juicy, it should be in the consistency of yogurt. Taste it, add more lemon juice if you need it. Here is garlic and lemon, which will give a creamy flavor to the avocado cream. By balancing the two, you can get a pleasant sour taste.
