Molokhia (Corchorus olitorius), also known as jute leavs or Nalta Jute, is an ancient and traditional Middle Eastern dish. Molokhia is especially famous in Sudan and Egypt. This is one dish that I'm personally connected to and love dearly. Growing up, my mom used to make molokhia a lot, at least once a month, if not twice. For me, it's one of the most delightful dishes ever.
In this blog post, I tell you how Molokhia can boost your well-being, and of course, I will share with you my mom's delicious Molokhia recipes (which is teh Sudanese recipe). So let's dive right in!
Nutritional Values of Molokhia:
The nutritional values of 100 g of molokhia leaves, according to the USDA are:
Water: 87 g
Protein: 3.68 g
Total lipid (fat): 0.2 g
Carbohydrate, by difference: 7.29 g
Fiber, total dietary: 2 g
Total sugars: 1 g
Calcium: 211 mg
Iron, Fe: 3.14 mg
Magnesium, Mg: 62 mg
Phosphorus,: 72 mg
Potassium: 550 mg
Sodium, Na: 11 mg
Zinc, Zn: 0.79 mg
Copper, Cu: 0.255 mg
Manganese, Mn: 0.123 mg
Selenium, Se: 0.9 µg
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid: 33 mg
Thiamin: 0.091 mg
Riboflavin: 0.192 mg
Niacin: 0.89 mg
Pantothenic acid: 0.072 mg
Vitamin B-6: 0.57 mg
Folate, total: 104 µg
Folate, food: 104 g
Folate, DFE: 104 µg
Choline, total: 12.8 mg
Vitamin A, RAE: 259 µg
Carotene, beta: 3110 g
Vitamin A: 5180 IU
Lutein and zeaxanthin: 1750 µg
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol): 0.7 mg
Vitamin K (phylloquinone): 108 µg
Fatty acids, total saturated: 0.03 g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated: 0.014 g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated: 0.096 g
Tryptophan: 0.024 g
Threonine: 0.13 g
Isoleucine: 0.175 g
Leucine: 0.306 g
Lysine: 0.173 g
Methionine :0.051 g
Cystine: 0.032 g
Phenylalanine: 0.168 g
Tyrosine: 0.116 g
Valine: 0.196 g
Arginine: 0.196 g
Histidine: 0.087 g
Alanine: 0.202 g
Aspartic acid: (0.448 g)
Glutamic acid: 0.389 g
Glycine: 0.169 g
Proline: 0.195 g
Serine: 0.143
The Health and Wellness Benefits That You Can Get From Molokhia
Molokhia means “That of Kings.”
This delicious and easy-to-grow plant has a lot of health benefits that will boost your well-being. Just take a look:
1. Molokhia is a valuable source of fiber.
Molokhia is rich in fibers, which are important for gut health. This makes Molokhia a great natural remedy for concetipation. Let me tell you something: whenever I have conctipation and I eat Molokhia for dinner, my bowels loose like magic. Not only that, but fibers also reduce bloating and cramping and improve the efficiency of nutrient uptake.
Consuming fibers is also good for those who are trying to lose weight, as fibers reduce the frequency of eating¹.
2. For blood pressure
Molokhia is rich in potassium; that's why it has a significant role in controlling blood pressure. Potassium is a vasodilator, which means that it relaxes the blood vessels and causes less strain on the cardiovascular system².
3. For circulation
There is a saying that those who have low hemoglobin levels hear a lot, which is “Eat a lot of green." Molokhia (green as it can be) has a high iron content, which makes it good for improving circulation. Iron helps your body produce more RBCs, which in turn reduces the chances of you having anemia and improves your circulation, thereby increasing energy levels³.
It should be noted, though, that the iron that comes from plants is not easily absorbed like the iron that comes from animal sources. That's why leafy greens on their own are not sufficient to fight anemia; you need to add meat to the regimen. So, Molokhia soup that contains meat would be more efficient⁴.
4. Heart Health
This health benefit is also related to the high content of fiber in Molokhia. Fibers can bind themselves to the bad cholesterol and remove it from your body. In that manner, it lowers your chances of having heart disease⁵.
5. Immune system
Vitamins A, E, and C in Molokhia are important for your immune system. Vitamin C plays a role in stimulating the functions of white blood cells, while vitamin E and A are powerful antioxidants.
They protect everything, starting from your skin to your organs and eyes. This makes it a factor in preventing the development of cancer and heart disease⁶.
6. Inflammation issues
A lot of people choose to take vitamin E supplements because obtaining the necessary dose from food is hard due to the rarity of foods that are rich in vitamin E. All of this makes Molokhia more valuable, as it contains a high amount of vitamin E.
Vitamin E is good at combating inflammatory diseases, which makes Molokhia a perfect choice for those who have arthritis, gout, or any inflammatory disease.
7. Weight loss
Studies have shown that molokhia is good for weight loss. It reduces lipid buildup, lowers body weight, and reduces hepatic fat accumulation.
8. Gut health
Molokhia can affect the gut flora and encourage the good bacteria to thrive. It also improves gut health by reducing the frequency of constipation and facilitating the passage of food in your intestines.
9. Antidiabetic activity
Although the exact mechanism of action by which Molokhia reduces blood sugar levels is unknown, we know that Molokhia has a lot of polysaccharides that have demonstrated anti-diabetic activity in animal studies⁷.
10. Wound healing properties
The application of molokhia leaves on wounds promotes healing, not to mention that it has antimicrobial action that lowers the amount of bacteria on your own⁸.
That doesn't mean that you can count on them alone for treating wounds, but they can be a supportive treatment if applied correctly.
Recipes
Now, if we are going to incorporate Molokhia into our regular diet, we need it to be delicious. For that, I brought you my most beloved recipes for making molokhia. Those recipes below are the ones that Sudanese have been using for centuries. I promise, you won't regret this.
Molokhia mafroma
Molokhia mafroma is the Arabic for chopped Molokhia; it's named like that because the leaves are chopped very finely before they are cooked.
Ingredients:
3 large onions
1 large tomato
Tomato paste
1 chicken bouillon cube
1 small cup of oil
A pinch of salt
4 cloves of garlic
Spices
125 grams (approximately 1/8 kilogram) of meat
A pinch of baking powder
Instructions:
1. Place the pot on the stove and add the oil. Heat it until it's hot.
2. Cut the onions into cubes and add them to the oil; stir continuously until they turn red. Then, add water to the pot until it reaches about halfway up.
3. Wash the meat and add it to the pot.
4. Add a pinch of baking powder to help dissolve the onions.
5. Add the chicken bouillon cube and reduce the heat to low while stirring occasionally.
6. Blend the tomato and pour it into the pot. Add the spices, salt, tomato paste, and minced garlic, then add a bit more water. Cover the pot.
7. Continue stirring occasionally for about 45 minutes to 1 hour, until the meat is fully cooked.
8. In the meantime, pick the molokhia leaves, wash them, and chop them finely using either a manual or electric chopper.
9. After the meat is cooked and the dish has turned red, add the chopped molokhia to the pot.
10. Stir well, and at this stage, do not cover the pot to prevent the molokhia from turning black.
11. Serve it with bread, salad, and hot sauce. Enjoy your meal!
2. Molokhia Mafroka
You see the slight difference there? Molokhia mafroka stands for mashed Molokhia; in this method, the leaves are mashed after they are cooked. This makes it more slimy.
Ingredients:
1 kilogram of molokhia leaves
500 grams of veal
1 Maggi bouillon cube or any chicken bouillon.
1 head of garlic
2 onions
1 tablespoon of baking soda
Black peppercorns
Instructions:
1. Wash the molokhia leaves and place them in a strainer to remove the excess water.
2. After that, place the onions and veal in a pot on the stove. Add the bouillon cube and black peppercorns to make a broth.
3. Once cooked, strain the meat and onions from the broth using a strainer.
4. Add the molokhia to the strained broth and mix in a tablespoon of baking soda.
5. Bring the mixture to a boil. Using a grinder (electric or manual), grind the molokhia until it is well mashed, then add the boiled meat and the garlic.
7. Serve the molokhia with traditional bread (like "kesra"), some salad, and hot sauce. Enjoy your meal!
N.B
You can find the original recipes with pictures at the link below:
For more information on the benefits of molokhia, read this meta-analysis study:
Conclusion
Molokhia is not named “that of kings” for no reason; this traditional Middle Eastern and African dish is incredibly delicious and healthy. The health benefits of molokhia are many; it can lower cholesterol levels, improve gut and heart health, improve your circulation, help with weight loss, and much more. All the reasons to add this traditional and nutritional dish to your dinner table.
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