Molokhia – Cooking Egyptian

On a cold windy winter day nothing like a soul warming chicken soup with Molokhia;) What is that you say?

Molokhia  also known as Jute, or Jews Mallow is the name of both a plant and a dish. A nutrient powerhouse,  it has three times the calcium and phosphorous as Kale, and four times the amount of riboflavin. It also has abundant  Vitamin C, Vitamin A amongst a host of other minerals and vitamins.

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It is eaten widely eaten throughout the Middle East and Asia but the origins are said to be in ancient Egypt. It does have a Okra like consistency which is an acquired taste to some people. I fell in love with it the first time I had it ( courtesy my fab sister in law). I  have add additional spices in the stock to add to the flavor.

Fresh Molokhia leaves are hard to find here so I have used the perfect frozen ones which are stripped and minced already. The preparation here with whole chicken and spices is true comfort food.

Often the chicken from the stock is cut into quarters and fried in butter or roasted in the oven but I have kept it straight, simple and healthy

 

Crushed Garlic and Coriander in olive oil
Tempering of garlic coriander

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Truly addictive “umami” food.

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Molokhia

  • Servings: many
  • Difficulty: easy
  • Print

Egyptian Molokhia with Chicken

Credit: https://foodforthesoul00.com/ 

Ingredients

INGREDIENTS:

Chicken stock

  • 1 organic whole roasting chicken
  • 2 cinnamon sticks
  • 4 cardamom pods
  • 1 chopped onion
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 5 cloves of garlic
  • 8 peppercorns
  • 2-3 cloves
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Water (enough to submerge chicken)

Rice

  • 2 cups of rice cooked in 1 tsp salt and 1 tsp clarified butter (optional). You can use a rice cooker.

Molokhia

  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 1 tablespoon ground coriander
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 package of frozen chopped molokhia

Directions

  • Add the whole chicken and all the stock ingredients, salt and enough water to a stock pot  or a pressure cooker. The chicken should be completely submerged. Cover and bring to a boil, lower the  heat down to medium and cook the chicken for 1 hour. If using a pressure cooker it should be done in 15 mins.
  • Take the chicken out, separate the pieces
  • Strain the spices from the stock in a sieve and reserve the stock.
  • In a heavy bottomed pot, add the two cups of stock , tsp minced garlic and 1 tsp coriander
  • Add the frozen chopped Molokhia and cook until jus bubbling. Turn off the heat. Do not boil the Molokhia too long.
  • In a mortar and pestle crush 2-3 cloves of garlic with 1 tsp ground coriander and some of the  olive oil
  • In a  fry pan, add olive oil and then the crushed  garlic mixture. Fry until golden and add this tempering to the Molokhia and stir
  • Add lemon juice  to the Molokhia.
  • Check the salt and pepper and adjust to taste
  • To serve, put the rice in a large platter. Section the chicken into pieces and place them on top of the rice. Serve the Molokhia in a separate bowl to pour on the rice and chicken.
  •  Often the chicken from the stock is cut into quarters and fried in butter or roasted in the oven but I have kept it straight, simple and healthy

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Joining Angie with this dish at Fiesta Friday!

32 thoughts on “Molokhia – Cooking Egyptian”

  2. I heard about molokhia being nutritious so I grew it a few times. This year I even repotted it and tried to keep it alive in my unheated garage. It croaked, unfortunately. Anyway, despite all this, I had no idea what to do with it. The few recipes I found didn’t appeal to me. But yours here does! It sounds delicious!

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    1. I have never tried growing it, did you start with seeds? I must give that a try this spring. Do try this recipe out and you may grow it again:) Browning pieces of boiled chicken in butter before topping the soup will add another layer of yummy flavor. That’s how I got addicted to this soup:)

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      1. Yes I started from seeds. It was pretty easy to grow actually. I was just not in love with the way it tasted. But then again I just boiled a couple of leaves to try. Maybe next time I’ll try your recipe. I might still have some seeds if you want some.

        Liked by 1 person

    2. i cook molokhia and keep in plastic bags in freezer more than 6 months
      some people chop in the food processor with very small amount of stock and keep in air tight containers in the freezer .
      some people dry like peppermint in the sun and keep in jars
      try to keep the leaves in plastic bags in the freezer and take the air out of the bag …. i didnt

      molokhia is simply :
      to stir the chopped leaves in the hot stock very well
      then add the fried garlic
      dont let it boil more than seconds or it will sink
      let it set for 30 minutes to take the flavor of the garlic
      you can add some 1/2 a cup of tomato puree to the stock with molohia .

      serve with pita bread too
      very delicious with meat stock
      molokhia should have a medium thickness

      enjoy

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  7. Mmmm, Zeba! This looks really delicious! I have never heard of molokhia. You have me very intrigued, so I am going to go on a quest to see if I can find it any where around here. Wish me luck! 😀

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  8. Oh yes comfort food with a capital C! I don’t believe I’ve ever tried molokhia before, nor even heard of it (pardon my ignorance). But I liked to read about it and its origins. I could totally devour a bowl of that, the chicken looks so tender, the rice, the molokhia, all make for one amazing bowl of food for the soul. Great job Zeba 🙂

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  11. Hi Zeba! Would you like to judge my Chinese New year challenge? It’s up already….Link up ends on 18th and after that any day you can send me the results! Let me know if you are free

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  12. I loved learning about the Molokhia! I’m guessing that’s going to be our new “superfood” once the word gets out! It sounds like it is a powerhouse of nutrition!

    Lovely recipe!

    Mollie

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  14. Pingback: 10 de los mejores platos tradicionales para probar en Egipto

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