Molokheiya (Egyptian Spinach) at Maisa - Downtown Oakland

[10foot5]

I just had a wonderful lunch from Maisa. On Fridays they often cook a North African or Middle Eastern regional specialty for a group that meets at the restaurant (or that they cater for, I'm a little unclear). These dishes are not on the menu, and sometimes don't even have a name.

I've told them that I am interested in trying any of these off-menu items whenever they are available and the 2 that I've tried so far have both been very good.

Today was Molokheiya cooked with lamb. The dish was somewhat similar to a saag curry from an Indian restaurant but with much less spice, a brighter vegetable flavor (I'm told egyptian spinach is botanically closer to okra then to spinach) and no oil or grease. The lamb was cooked perfectly as it always is here, mouth-meltingly tender and juicy. Served with fluffy rice, warmed pita, and sliced lemon. $10.99.

[Caitlin McGrath]

Molokhiya cooked similarly - in a stew with lamb - seems to be a fairly regular special at Zaki Kebab House. A friend was quite pleased with it, though I haven't tried it myself.

[Robert Lauriston]

I've only had it once at Old Jerusalem. I thought the flavor was somewhere between okra and nettles.

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Old Jerusalem
2976 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[Karen_Schaffer]

I'd say the taste of nettles with the texture one gets from okra.

[alyssay]

interesting. FYI sometimes it is translated into english as jew's mallow. usually in egypt it is cooked as a stew/soup with a LOT of garlic and freshly ground coriander.

[Robert Lauriston]

Link:

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Maisa
377 13th St, Oakland, CA 94613

[bigwheel042]

Interesting...AFAIK you can't get the vegetable fresh here, only frozen or canned. Old Jerusalem in SF has molokhiya too, just in soup rather than dry.

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Old Jerusalem
2976 Mission St, San Francisco, CA 94110

[Karen_Schaffer]

There's an opportunity here for someone, because it's dead simple to grow.

[Robert Lauriston]

Paula Wolfert wrote that she decided not to grow it because it's too hard to prep. She uses dried instead.