Egyptian recipe of "Molokhia" or Melokhia
Ingredients
- 6 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 kg of fresh molokhia (or melokhia) leaves cleaned
- one tablespoon tomato paste (optional)
- one hot chilly pepper (optional)
- one bay leaf (optional)
- one small onion, finely chopped (optional)
- black pepper
- two tablespoons of butter
- several cloves of garlic, minced
- one teaspoon ground coriander
- one teaspoon salt
- one tablespoon fresh coriander leaves (also called cilantro) or fresh
parsley, finely chopped (optional)
- juice of one lemon or a teaspoon vinegar (optional)
- ground cayenne pepper or red pepper (optional)
Steps
- Chop the molokhia leaves as finely as possible. In Egypt, the perfect
tool to finely chop molokhia leaves is a makhrata -- a curved knife with two
handles similar to the Italian mezzaluna
- Over high heat, bring the chicken stock to a near boil in a large pot.
Add the molokhia, stirring well. Add the tomato paste, chile pepper, bay
leaf, and onion (if desired), and black pepper, continuing to stir. Reduce
heat and simmer. The molokhia will simmer for about twenty minutes.
- After the chicken stock and melokhia have simmered for about ten
minutes: heat the butter in a skillet. Using either the back of a spoon in a
bowl or a sharp knife on a cutting board, grind the garlic, ground
coriander, and the salt together into a paste. Fry the mixture in the oil
for two to four minutes, stirring constantly, until the garlic is slightly
browned
- After the melokhia has been simmering for about twenty minutes and has
broken down to make a thick soup, add the garlic mixture and the butter it
was fried in to the simmering molokhia. Stir well
- Add any of the remaining optional ingredients that you like. Continue
simmering and stirring occasionally for a few more minutes.
- Serve immediately, hot. Molokhia soup is often served over boiled Rice
and sometimes with boiled chicken.
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