[chicken] Molokhia ملوخية
Molokhia is dish that goes by many names; I’ve come across at least half a dozen English spellings alone. While a popular dish throughout the Middle East, it is virtually unknown in North America. It’s based on the leaves of the jute plant (the same one that produces jute fibre for rope & fabric), but known by many other names as well, including West African sorrel, bush okra and Jew’s mallow. This plant has been under cultivation in the Levant for millennia, and was likely on the table of the ancient Egyptians.
The leaves can be found fresh (only rarely in Toronto), frozen, dried or powdered. For the Syrian version of this dish, dried whole leaves are preferred for the best flavour; they are cooked with garlic, coriander and lemon. The cooked greens are topped with shredded chicken that has been poached separately in a broth with onion and spices, and served alongside basmati rice.
[vegetarian] Molokhia ملوخية
The same dish, but without chicken, instead served with a savoury haloumi & mozzarella cheese fatayer (pastry).
Baba Ganouj
One of the most famous and popular Middle Eastern mezze dips; smoky eggplant dip with yogurt, tahini & garlic. The Syrian version is often beautifully garnished with pomegranate molasses, pomegranate seeds and parsley. Served with fresh pita bread
Lazakiat لزاقيات
Probably my all-time favourite Syrian dish I’ve discovered through Newcomer Kitchen. A spectacular dessert composed of many layers of paper-thin crepes, seasoned with turmeric, ginger, anise and black sesame – traditionally cooked on the large domed saj oven – which are layered with rich sauce made from sesame halva, and garnished with fried walnut pieces.
$20 +HST
Meals are available for pickup from The Depanneur,
1033 College Street (between Dufferin & Dovercourt) from 6–7pm
foodora sponsors FREE Delivery within 3km radius
(approx. Keele to Spadina, St. Clair to Lakeshore)
NEW 6km Delivery Option!
If you live outside the free delivery zone, we are testing a new delivery option in partnership with foodora: $10 flat fee for any address within a 6km radius
(approx. Park Lawn to DVP, Eglinton to Lakeshore).
Newcomer Kitchen is a new project that invites groups of Syrian refugee women to use our kitchen to cook traditional Syrian dishes in a fun, social setting. Meals are prepared and packaged, and then sold online for pickup or delivery to pay for all the ingredients and provide an honorarium for the cooks.
We also offer 1 spot to help/hang out in the kitchen, learn the recipes and join the ladies for family meal on Thursday afternoon. We are asking for a $50 donation for this, which will go to topping up the $ we have to share with the cooks. This is available for purchase online, on a first-come, first-served basis.
Proceeds from the sale of meals goes directly to the newcomer cooks. However this does not cover the costs of the enormous amount of behind-the-scenes coordination required to keep this project going. You can support the Newcomer Kitchen project directly and our vision of expanding this model to support more women in more neighbourhoods!
Help us take this idea into any restaurant kitchen, in any city in the world!
Leave a Reply
Want to join the discussion?Feel free to contribute!