Molokhia Soup Recipes

EGYPTIAN MOLOKHEYA (GREEN SPINACH-LIKE SOUP)

Steps:

• Fill large stock pot with water, bring to a boil, add add sliced onions, carrot and celery. Add 2 chicken bouillon cubes and whole chicken or hen, sprinkle with salt and pepper.
• Cover and cook until chicken tender approximately 1-2 hours.
• Skim fats from water, strain out vegetables, remove chicken and reserve about 4 cups of the broth in pot.
• While broth is simmering on real low, add bag of molokheya and a teaspoon of ground coriander, salt & pepper and a dash of cumin to the broth. (Easy way to get bag into pot: I've found by just snipping top of plastic bag, then holding over hot pot, and sliding the molokheya into the pot, the steam helps it slide out easy) DO NOT COVER.
• Add the chopped tomato and onion into the pot, just a little, as stated, 1 slice tomato, 1 slice onion, both chopped.
• Preparing the "tasha" (this is what makes the molokheya famous & tasty too): Put 2 tablespoons oil into small frying pan.
• Add crushed garlic, stir until a golden brown, add teaspoon ground coriander and the few smashed coriander seeds, stir until all dry and formed together.
• Drop this into pot of molokheya while hot, you should hear a "tsshhh" sound, if so you did it- congratulations!
• Continue cooking on low heat for approximately 10 minutes, its ready to serve.
• To serve: Brown the chicken in a pan full of melted butter and serve with white steamed rice with lightly fried vermicelli pieces. (I will post recipe for this simple, yet delicious rice).
• Spoon the molokheya into bowls and let your guests spoon onto rice or dip their warm pita breads into their bowls!
• *** Sometimes I prepare a red sauce to spoon into each individual bowl, or serve next to the molokheya bowls- its tangy and a good complement to this dish. Just take 3 slices onions, brown in butter, add two tablespoons of tomato paste, salt & pepper, a dash of cumin, add some red chili sauce (shaata) and water, cook for 20 minutes, tastes should be tangy, not too thick, with a bit of tanginess and heat.***.

ANCIENT EGYPTIAN MELOKHIA SOUP

Steps:

• Put all the ingredients in a pan with a thick bottom for two hours and let it become broth.
• Cut the little pieces of chicken and/or lamb and put them in the soup.
• Cut the spinach or melokhia in little rips and put them also in the soup.
• Put a little sunflower or olive oil in the baking pan.
• Squeeze the strings garlic in the pan and bake them until they are gold-brown of color.
• Then put the harissa and coriander in it.
• Now put the spicy paste in the soup.
• Always keep mixing.
• Make sure the melokhia or spinach doesn't become overdone.
• Serve it with Turkish bread.

MOLOKHIA SOUP

Steps:

• In a stock pot put the chicken, bay leaf, 1/2 onion, 1 garlic clove crushed, cover with water, add buillon, salt and cardamom. Cook until chicken is done (1 hr aprox). Take the chicken out. Strain the stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium, add frozen molokhia, stirring occasionally, until well combined. Take care not to let the mixture boil. Add vinegar. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat add chopped onions, then garlic until golden. Add a ladle of soup and add it to the soup.