Cooking and gardening with molokhia in displaced communities

Noora, originally from Damascus, Syria, cooks meals that remind her family of home, using fresh herbs and seasonal produce from her small garden in Gawilan refugee camp, Kurdistan Region of Iraq. “My mother taught me to cook. Now my children help me. I never give up on the recipes that remind me of home,” she says.

Noora and her family were forcibly displaced during the war in Syria. Despite limited space, she grows basil, mint, lavender and jasmine, dreaming of a larger garden where she could cultivate fruit trees alongside vegetables.

Cultivating molokhia and tradition

Molokhia, or jute mallow, is a popular ingredient in Middle Eastern dishes and is grown widely by gardeners in refugee and IDP (internally displaced people) camps across the Kurdistan Region. Packed with vitamins A, C and K, calcium and iron, molokhia supports digestion and immunity while adding flavour to meals.

Gardeners and beneficiaries of all ages at the Hêvî Community Garden in Gawilan camp and the Azadî Community Garden in Domiz 1 camp, many with traditional skills passed down through generations, cultivate molokhia alongside other herbs and vegetables. Workshops on organic growing methods help enhance these skills, while children learn alongside their mothers and grandmothers.

Molokhia recipe, fundraising and cook-alongs

You can download Noora’s Molokhia with Chicken and Simple Tabbouleh for free from our website and enjoy a flavourful Syrian meal with friends or family. If you can’t get hold of molokhia or prefer something different, we also have two other recipe cards available:

• Khanem’s Tawa, a traditional Syrian dish with layers of beef, aubergine, tomato and potato. Dairy-free and freshened with lemon and parsley.
• Nosheen’s Kousa Mahshi, stuffed courgettes and tomatoes with beef and rice. Vegetarian option available using chickpeas.

Why not turn it into a fun fundraiser? Invite friends to cook together virtually or in person, email the recipe to them in advance, and enjoy a shared meal while supporting displaced communities. Every cook-along helps families access nutritious food, build gardening and cooking skills, and contributes to our wider mission to improve food security and nutrition, advancing UN Sustainable Development Goals 2 (Zero Hunger) and 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing).

Find more fundraising ideas, here.

Celebrating community with cooking competitions

We celebrate the produce grown in our camps through our annual cooking competitions, which showcase community-grown and home-grown ingredients. Sharing food, just like gardening, connects us all, regardless of background. This year, both our cooking competitions and gardening competitions are taking place a little later than usual to avoid the peak summer heat, which can reach 45°C. Watch this space for updates.

Through gardening, preparing meals and sharing recipes, we help forcibly displaced families access healthy, nutritious food, build skills and stay connected to culture, memory and community.