So, Mulberry Leaves Are Edible?

This week I learned that mulberry leaves are edible. I have 3 mulberry trees, so I was very curious about whether I would want to include mulberry leaves in my regular diet, especially because they are supposed to offer some nutritional benefits.

I'm not sure what's based on scientific study and what is old wives' tales, but one entry online said, "mulberry leaves are deemed useful for dispelling wind-heat, moistening the lungs, soothing the liver, and for brightening the eyes. The herb would be prescribed for treating cold and flu symptoms caused by wind-heat, and for dry coughing due to hot lungs, as well as other problems such as headache, dizziness, blurred vision and skin rashes."

I checked YouTube for a couple of recipes for cooking with them, and once I felt confident, I decided to test them. Many of the recipes recommended using the leaves as rice pocket wraps, much like we can use grape leaves.

The raw leaves were a bit hard, so I soaked them in warm water for a couple of hours. Then I crushed a handful of chickpeas, mixed in with raw mince and cooked rice and chopped onion, garlic, seasoned with salt, a drop of soy sauce, cayenne pepper in a bowl and wrapped small rice balls with the leaves and put them in a pot.

One recipe recommended steaming them, another one broiling the balls. I decided to broil. I left the balls on medium heat for around 30 minutes. Then I dished them up for lunch. I expected them to have a strong flavour, so I included a side of runny eggs.

My verdict: The flavour was blander than I expected. The leaves were also still tough and chewy in texture. It was an interesting combination with rice, chickpeas and rice mix. The balls tasted better being dipped into peri-peri sauce before eating, though I had to wait until I could run to the shops to get it.

Overall, I'd say it was an okay meal. I'm not going wake up one morning and think, I'm in the mood for mulberry leaf rice pockets. But in a pinch, I know the leaves are an option.