Molokhia Soup is a popular West Asian dish. Many people consider Egypt to be the origin of this dish, though there are several variations of the dish throughout West Asia and even within Egypt. Molokhia is a dark, leafy green which looks like mint and tastes like spinach. It is rich in various vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A and C, fiber, and iron, and is commonly believed to aid in digestion. Altogether, this delicious meal takes about 90 minutes to prepare and feeds three to four people.
Ingredients
- 1 pack of frozen molokhia (400g)
- 1 whole chicken
- 6 cups of chicken broth (for each molokhia pack)
- 4 garlic cloves
- 1 medium onion
- 15 g chopped cilantro
- 5 pieces cardamom
- 1 tablespoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black peppers
- 4 tablespoons corn oil
- 1 cinnamon stick (optional)
- 1 tomato, sliced in half (optional)
- Pita bread (optional)
- 5 pieces cloves (optional)
Steps
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Prepare the molokhia leaves. Wash the molokhia leaves carefully and set them aside. Chop the molokhia into small pieces.
- If fresh leaves aren’t available, frozen molokhia can be used instead.
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Prepare the chicken and clean it thoroughly.Advertisement
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Put the chicken in a pot filled with water and cook until the water starts boiling. -
Dice the onions and add it to the pot.
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Add one tablespoon of salt, the cilantro, the garlic cloves, and the cinnamon stick to add flavor to the chicken.
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Add cardamom to the pot and let the chicken boil for about an hour.
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Place the chicken in a roasting pan (save the broth), and place the pan in the oven until it’s roasted.
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Add the chopped two cloves of garlic and fry it with two tablespoons of corn oil, until the garlic’s color becomes golden brown.
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Add the chicken broth, chopped molokhia, and the chopped garlic to the pot.
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Season the soup with the black pepper and bring it to a simmer. Let it boil for about thirty minutes.
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Add the tomato to make the soup’s texture less gooey, if desired.
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Chop another two cloves of garlic into small pieces and chop the cilantro. Add them to a frying pan.
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Measure and pour two tablespoons of corn oil into the pan and fry the garlic until it's golden brown.
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Place the chopped garlic and cilantro to the molokhia soup. Allow the soup to boil for a couple of minutes until the vegetables are soft and have fully cooked.
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Make white rice and/or roasted pita bread in the oven to serve it along with the chicken and molokhia soup.
- Bake the pita at 400 °F (204 °C) for 7 minutes or until the pita is lightly brown
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Serve. Enjoy!Advertisement
Expert Q&A
Video
Tips
- Squeeze lemon juice into the soup to add more flavor.Thanks
Warnings
- Make sure that the chicken is not under-cooked and pink. Be sure to give it enough time to cook so you won't end up with raw chicken.Thanks
- Hot oil can be dangerous so take caution when you're frying the garlic.Thanks
References
About this article
To make molokhia soup, wash the molokhia leaves and chop them into small pieces, then set them aside. Place a whole chicken in a large pot of water and bring the water to a boil. Dice an onion and add it to the pot, then season the broth with salt, cilantro, garlic cloves, a cinnamon stick, and cardamom. Once the soup has been boiling for an hour, take the chicken out and roast it in the oven until it’s cooked to your liking. Meanwhile, brown some chopped garlic in olive oil in a pot, then pour in the broth and chopped molokhia leaves. Season the broth with a little black pepper and bring it to a simmer, then mix in diced tomato, cilantro, and more chopped garlic. Let the soup boil for a few more minutes or until the vegetables are soft. For serving suggestions, scroll down!
