Rabat – If you are into vegan food, don’t miss the opportunity to taste Morocco’s bakoula (mallow) salad, a fulfilling and delicious superfood that can be consumed both cold or warm, alone or as an appetizer.
The plant can grow anywhere, but it is often particularly found in the wild.
Moroccans shop their bakoula, also known as khobiza, from souks, where it is sold in grand bunches, with prices between MAD 2 and 5.
The preparation for the salad is not different from how many prepare spinach salad. 
Bakoula salad
Clean the bakoula very well before starting salad preparations, which begin with chopping the bakoula.
Some prefer to cook their bakoula in a cooking pot instead of steaming it, suggesting that this method helps maintain the plant’s nutritional value.
Ingredients:
¼ cup of olive oil
Pinch of parsley
Garlic
Salt
Cumin
Paprika
Cayenne pepper
Pickled lemon
Green, red, or black olives
Cooking the bakoula
In the pot, add the chopped bakoula, a cup of water and pinch of parsley before adding three or four chopped and pressed garlic cloves, a teaspoon of salt, a teaspoon of cumin, teaspoon of paprika, and teaspoon of red pepper.
Add a ¼ cup of olive oil and close the pressure cooker, putting it on medium heat.
Cooking bakoula takes 30 minutes at most. You have to stay close to your pot to stir from one moment to another to avoid the ingredients sticking to the bottom.
Serving
When well cooked, serve your bakoula either cold or warm. For a better taste, add a tablespoon of olive oil and tiny pieces of pickled lemon, and a few pieces of black, red, or green olives.
You can serve your bakoula salad as the main course with a few chicken or red meat steaks.
In Morocco, bakoula salad is usually served as an appetizer often eaten with homemade bread or by a fork.
Others also prefer to eat it as a main course as it is a nutritious and vegan-friendly superfood that can make you full for a long time.
