Moroccan Mallow Salad Recipe – Khoubiza or Bakkoula

Moroccan mallow salad is a tangy, delicious, and sometimes spicy dish of steamed and sautéed mallow. Moroccans call both the mallow plant and the salad who do you Love OR bakkoula.

Mallow salad is made by washing and chopping mallow leaves and stems, steaming them until tender, then sautéing the mallow with parsley, cilantro, garlic, olive oil, spices, and lemon juice.

These combined herbs and spices are essentially chermoula, a marinade and cooking style or flavor profile that appears repeatedly in Moroccan cuisine.

The mallow itself isn’t particularly flavorful, so it’s the chermoula dressing that really enhances the khoubiza or bakkoula salad with tangy goodness. How hot or spicy depends on the cook.

The chopped pulp (and optionally zest) of preserved lemons is traditionally blended to impart a tangy flavor, with some cooks also adding chopped olives.

My family also likes salad with a little heat, so I include ground cayenne pepper or whole chili peppers in the dressing.

Mallow in Morocco

In Morocco several varieties of mallow grow spontaneously, including the common mallow (Malva sylvestris), round mauve (Small mauve OR Malva rotundifolia), and mauve (Malva parviflora).

According to the newspaper article Edible weeds in Morocco, mallow is one of 17 different types of weeds that Moroccans include in their cuisine. Small mallow is the most popular type that is consumed, bought and sold in Morocco.

Despite being classified as a weed, mallow is actually a nutritious plant rich in vitamins A, B and C, as well as the minerals magnesium, potassium and calcium.

You can find mallow sold in some Moroccan markets and grocery stores, but you will also see people harvesting the plant in the wild, especially during the spring when it grows in abundance.

Furthermore, it is not uncommon to see Moroccan women picking mallow wherever they are – in the fields, along the roads or in empty lots – and then taking it home to prepare mallow salad for their family.

Other greens such as purslane, spinach and chard, alone or in combination, can replace the mallow to make an equally delicious salad. They receive essentially the same treatment as mallow, but fragile greens like spinach require less steaming time while purslane may require more.

Both purslane and mallow are mucilaginous, found in cooked salads. I don’t find it off-putting, though, like I do with okra.

Smoking mauve

Mallow is fairly easy to steam, but in order to work with a bulky amount, you’ll want to have a good-sized steamer so you can handle it in a single batch.

Finely chop the leaves and stems, then transfer them to a steamer basket set over boiling water.

It’s okay if the chopped vegetables are bunched or piled over the edge of the steamer; they will rapidly reduce in volume as the vegetables steam and wilt.

Once tender, you can squeeze the vegetables of excess water by pressing them against the side of the basket with a large wooden spoon, ladle, or spatula.

If you have a couscoussier you can use it to steam the mallow, otherwise you may want to invest in one steamer with a capacity of at least two quarts. I find that a two- to three-quarter steamer basket is a great size for all general purposes, and I use mine to steam all types of vegetables and greens.

A universal steamer It’s a good alternative if you don’t want to add a bulky 2-piece pot and basket to your cookware collection.

Serve the Moroccan mallow salad

Moroccan salads such as khoubiza or bakkoula are usually served on small plates that can be shared communally, usually one small plate for every two or three people.

To garnish the dish, whole olives and slivers or wedges of preserved lemon are traditionally used. They add a nice pop of color and are tasty as a condiment.

Like many other Moroccan salads, khoubiza or bakkoula is usually eaten as a dip with Moroccan bread.

Moroccan mallow salad – Khoubiza or Bakkoula

Christine Benlafquih | Flavor of Morocco

Khoubiza or bakkoula is a spicy and delicious salad made by sautéing steamed mallow with garlic, spices and preserved lemon. Sometimes chopped or whole olives are added.

Preparation time 15 minutes min

Time to cook 30 minutes min

Total time 45 minutes min

Course Salad

Kitchen Moroccan

Product 4 portions

Calories 273 kcal

Cooking modePrevents the screen from going dark

• ½ pound mallow leaves and stems – (about 8 cups, packaged)
• ½ cup olive oil
• ½ cup chopped parsley and/or coriander – (I use a mix)
• 4 Cloves garlic, pressed or finely chopped – or more as desired
• 1½ teaspoons paprika
• 1½ teaspoons cumin
• ¼ teaspoon salt – or more as desired
• ¼ teaspoon Cayenne pepper – or as desired (optional)
• 2 spoons lemon juice – or to taste
• 1 preserved lemon pulp – chopped
• preserved lemon peel – for garnish
• 1 handful red olives – for garnish

Wash, chop and steam the mallow

• In a large bowl or sink full of water, wash the mallow thoroughly. Rinse and drain well. Chop the leaves and stems and place them in a steamer basket set over boiling water. It’s okay if the greens are piled above the edge.Steam the mallow for 15-20 minutes or until the mallow is tender. It will significantly reduce in volume and become darker in color.

  Half a kilo of mallow leaves and stems

• Squeeze or remove any excess water from the steamed mallow. You can do this directly in the steamer basket, using a wooden spoon or spatula to press the mallow against the walls of the steamer basket.

Fry the steamed mallow

• While the mallow steams, place the olive oil, garlic, parsley, coriander and spices in a large skillet. Sauté over medium or medium-low heat for several minutes, until the herbs are wilted and the garlic is fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic. Remove from the heat until the mallow is ready.

  ½ cup olive oil, ½ cup chopped parsley and/or cilantro, 4 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped, 1 and a half teaspoons of paprika, 1 and a half teaspoons of cumin, ¼ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

• Add the mallow to the pan along with the chopped preserved lemon pulp and lemon juice. Sauté over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until the flavors are well blended.

  2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 preserved lemon pulp

• Taste and adjust the seasoning or lemon juice. Serve warm or at room temperature, garnished with whole olives and preserved lemon zest.

  1 handful of red olives, preserved lemon peel

ADVICE AND VARIATIONS

• This salad will still be tasty if you don’t have preserved lemon on hand. Just use a little more lemon juice to taste to give it the classic lemony, tangy flavor.
• To spice up the salad, add some roasted and chopped chili pepper or a spoonful of harissa.
• Whole chili peppers can be sautéed with vegetables and then served as a garnish and condiment.
• The same basic recipe works with other vegetables like spinach, kale, and purslane; adjust the steaming time accordingly.
• I find that bits of mallow or other greens tend to stick to the inside of stainless steel steamers; those bits become difficult to wash off as the steamer basket cools. To make cleaning easier, have a deep bowl of warm water handy in the sink to soak the basket in until you can reach it. Or plan to immediately wash the steamer with hot, soapy water as soon as you empty it.

Calories: 273kcalCarbohydrates: 5GProtein: 2GFat: 28GSaturated fats: 4GPolyunsaturated fats: 3GMonounsaturated fat: 20GSodium: 275mgPotassium: 413mgFiber: 2GSugar: 1GVitamin A: 6400UIC vitamin: 30mgSoccer: 84mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is only an estimate obtained from online calculators. Optional ingredients may not be included in nutritional information.