[caption id="attachment_2663" align="alignnone" width="900"] "Khebbeyze bi hommous"[/caption] Mallow or malva (khebbeyze) is a wild edible plant known around the Mediterranean for its medicinal and culinary. It grows under a variety of climate and soils conditions. The edible leaves of Malva sylvestris, rich in minerals and vitamins A and C are harvested in spring. Stems are also used in the kitchen. Cooked green leaves create a mucus very similar to okra’s, and the dried leaves are used for tea making. Total Servings: 5 Preparation Time: 30 minutes Ingredients: 1 kg of mallow leaves 1 cup of chickpeas, soaked overnight ¼ cup of vegetable oil, or olive oil ½ kg onion, chopped in julienne ½ cup of lemon juice 1 tsp salt Black pepper to taste Water [caption id="attachment_2664" align="alignnone" width="900"] Mallow leaves ©edibleweeds.com.au[/caption] Preparation method:

1. Wash the mallow leaves and chop them finely
2. Drain the chickpeas, and with a pestle, gently squash them to de-hull them (remove the skin) and separate the two cotyledons
3. Boil the chickpeas in water until half-cooked. Drain excess water
4. In a saucepan, fry the onions with the oil until gold then add the chickpeas and stir in the mallow leaves
5. Add ¼ of a cup of water and let simmer on medium fire while stirring from time to time
6. Season with the salt, pepper and lemon juice
7. Remove from fire once the mallow leaves have completely wilted
8. Serve cold with pita bread and an extra dash of lemon juice