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     monica Senior Member Username: monica Post Number: 1335 Registered: 5-2003 Rating: N/A |
Is this how you make it Moira? Molokhia (Egyptian Greens Soup) Molokhia (Melokiyah, etc.) is a traditional dish in Egypt and Sudan -- some people believe it originated among Egyptians during the time of the Pharaohs. Others believe that it was first prepared by ancient Jews. Molokhia is a mucilaginous, nutritious soup made from a type of greens, known as molokhia or Jew's mallow (also called Nalta jute, Tussa jute, Corchorus olitorius), which is found throughout Egypt, the Levant, and similar climes elsewhere. Dried or frozen molokhia greens may be obtained from Middle Eastern or Asian grocery stores worldwide. What you need six cups chicken stock one pound fresh molokhia leaves or frozen molokhia leaves (thawed) -- or -- a similar amount of spinach; stems removed, cleaned, rinsed in cold water, and patted dry (frozen molokhia is usually already cleaned and chopped) one tablespoon tomato paste (optional) one hot chile pepper, cleaned and chopped (optional) one bay leaf (optional) one small onion, finely chopped (optional) black pepper, to taste two tablespoons olive oil, butter, or any cooking oil several cloves (or more) 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, to taste (optional) What you do Chop the molokhia leaves as finely as possible. This should leave them bright green and slightly slimey. In Egypt, the perfect tool to finely chop molokhia leaves is a makhrata -- a curved knife with two handles similar to the Italian mezzaluna. (Get one of these kitchen cutters and you'll love it so much you'll be using it by the light of a half-moon!) Some Egyptian cooks prefer to cut the molokhia leaves by rolling them into a tight bundle and using a very sharp knife to shave them into thin slices. 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. (Allow an extra ten if frozen molokhia is not completely thawed.) After the chicken stock and molokhia have simmered for about ten minutes: heat the oil (or 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 garlic has been browned and the molokhia is nearly done (after it has been simmering for about twenty minutes and has broken down to make a thick soup), add the garlic mixture and the oil 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. Adjust seasoning. Serve immediately, hot. Molokhia soup is often served over boiled Rice and sometimes with boiled chicken. Molokhia is prized for its mucilaginous quality, a quality which spinach lacks. If using spinach, the addition of a few tender okra pods, very finely chopped, will serve to thicken the soup. If using dried molokhia, rub the leaves between your hand to crumble them into small pieces, moisten these with a few spoonfuls of water then proceed with the recipe. Frozen Mulukhiya is sold already cleaned and chopped, ready to use. The fried garlic and coriander mixture is known as ta'lya (ta'leya, ta'liya) and is used in many Egyptian dishes. Some cooks leave out the salt; others add the onion and/or the tomato paste to the ta'lya. The ta'lya can also be added to the molokhia earlier. A richer Molokhia Chicken soup can be obtained by boiling a pound of cut-up chicken meat in the chicken stock before adding the molokhia leaves. Some cooks add a bit of cardamom or cinnamon. If you like molokhia, consider yourself lucky that you didn't live in Egypt a thousand years ago: Consumption of molokhia was banned (along with a great many other things) during the reign of the Fatimid Caliph al-Hakim (c.1000 AD).  Monica™ A recipe is only a theme,which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. ... Madame Benoit... It's not ingredients that make food delicious it's your special touch that creates those flavours...Monica... | ||
| monica Senior Member Username: monica Post Number: 1336 Registered: 5-2003 Rating: N/A |
This link has a picture of molokhaya/egyptian spinach http://edenseeds.com.au/content/seeditem.asp?id=330 Monica™ A recipe is only a theme,which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. ... Madame Benoit... It's not ingredients that make food delicious it's your special touch that creates those flavours...Monica... | ||
| monica Senior Member Username: monica Post Number: 1337 Registered: 5-2003 Rating: N/A |
I`m intrigued by this recipe and having a field day looking up recipe variations. It seems easy to make and delicious!!! Egyptian-Style Chicken and Molokhiya The leafy green called molokhiya provide a much prized viscous texture to soups and stews made with chicken, rabbit or meat. The texture of molokhiya is similar to that of okra and wild mallow, a quality people either love or hate. If you enjoy gumbo you'll probably enjoy adding molokhiya to your repertory of greens. In this dish only the leafy greens are simmered with a captivating mixture of cinnamon, cardamom, mastic and garlic in a rich chicken broth. I'm indebted to Nora George, author of Nora's Recipes From Egypt, for teaching me this dish in her son's home near San Francisco. Her book is filled with wonderful recipes translated from her mother's personal cookbook handwritten in Arabic. In those days, cooks didn't bother to write down quantities, so Nora spent a number of years using her taste-memory to calculate amounts in teaspoons and cups, a process akin, she told me, to solving a mystery with clues. Luckily she had great taste- memories of meals in Cairo and summers spent along Egypt's Mediterranean coast. Nora made this dish for me using the frozen molokhiya leaves imported from Egypt which she bought at a local Middle Eastern grocery. Frozen molokhiya is available nationwide in such stores. "This is a typical Egyptian Sunday midday family-get- together dish," she told me as she demonstrated how to make it. "Molokhiya is soupy so you'll need a bowl for each diner. I think it's a perfect dish for your book on grains and greens since we serve these healthy greens with rice." Ever-thoughtful Nora! Gray-haired with large Egyptian eyes like the ones you see in ancient paintings, she's a Christian Arab and a dynamo whose self-published book is among the very best Egyptian cookbooks that I've seen. Molokhiya, she informed me, usually provokes a siesta because Egyptians, loving it, tend to eat too much. To my query: "Can you make it in advance," she responded: "It is more presentable and best eaten when cooked rightaway while it retains its lovely green color. The leaves are added to boiling soup, cooked over medium heat and served immediately after it reaches the boilng point. To answer your question, yes, it is still very tasty the second and third day but it's color is dark and no longer green." Her rice for the soup looks similar to Chinese white rice. "We Egyptians like our rice slightly sticky, so it can be piled up on a spoon. Also, with sticky rice we're able to get a nice brown crust on the bottom of the pot. We call this hekaka, cut it up and give a little piece to each person at table. It's so good no one ever refuses it." With the molokhiya, Nora served a bowl of chopped onions which had been marinated in vinegar. "This," she explained, "must be made at the last minute, otherwise it gets too mushy." I was barely seated before she started encouraging me to eat. "Hurry, Paula! Eat it before it gets cold. It's at its best when hot." "How many does this feed?" I asked as I examined the enormous platter on the table. "Four Egyptians or eight Americans," she told me with a wink. Serves 4 2 pound chicken parts 1 1 small onion, quartered Spice packet: 1 stick cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon mastic, 1 teaspoon peppercorns and 3 cardamom pods wrapped in cheesecloth 1 teaspoon salt 6 cup water Pinch each of sumac and dried thyme Olive oil Onion-Cinnamon-Vinegar Dressing: 1 cup cider vinegar 1/2 cup finely chopped red onion Pinch of ground cinnamon 1 frozen 14 ounce package Molokhiya imported from Egypt (available at Middle Eastern grocers) 1 tablespoons butter 1 tablespoon crushed garlic 1 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons ground coriander Accompaniments: 2 pita breads, cut into triangles and toasted until brown in the oven 2 cups freshly cooked white rice 1. Place the chicken, onion, spice packet, and 1 teaspoon salt in a 4-quart casserole. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook at the simmer for 45 minutes, skimming from time to time. Remove the chicken to an oiled baking pan, sprinkle with a pinch of sumac and thyme; moisten with 1/4 cup broth and keep covered with a foil tent. 2. About 1-1/2 hours before serving, preheat the oven to 425 degrees. 3. Strain the chicken broth; discard the fat, measure the broth and add more water if necessary to make 4 cups. Return to the saucepan and bring to the boil. In a skillet heat the butter to sizzling, add the garlic and 1 teaspoon salt and the coriander and fry, stirring, until the texture is sandy and the color brown, but not burnt. Add to the boiling broth and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes. 4. An hour before mealtime bring soup to a boil, add frozen molokhia and cook uncovered over medium heat until it completely defrosts, without undue stirring. (If using fresh or dried molokhiya, see note to cook.) Makes about 3 cups sauce. Meanwhile, set the chicken in the oven to brown. Make the onion- vinegar-cinnamon dressing and let stand 30 minutes. 5. To serve in layers in individual cereal bowls: place toasted pocket bread triangle on the bottom; add a few spoonfuls of plain rice, the chicken, a ladleful of sauce and top with a spoonful of the onion-vinegar-cinnamon dressing. Notes to the Cook: One-half pound dried molokhiya can be substituted for fresh or frozen: rub the leaves between hands until finely crushed. Forty minutes before serving, rinse quickly in a strainer, drain, soak in enough hot broth to cover for half an hour, then add to the boiling soup and cook uncovered for about 10 minutes. If using fresh molokhiya: Rinse and carefully dry. Use a mezzaluna or half-moon chopper to finely chop then set aside until ready to add the last 10 minutes. Don't worry if it feels a little slimy to the touch. (A food processor can be used for the chopping.) Add the fresh molokhiya to the boiling soup, immediately reduce heat and cook, uncovered, (to retain its green color) for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from the heat the moment it begins to boil. Seeds for growing molokhiya are available at some Middle Eastern grocers in the spring. ©1999-2000 Paula Wolfert Monica™ A recipe is only a theme,which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. ... Madame Benoit... It's not ingredients that make food delicious it's your special touch that creates those flavours...Monica... | ||
| moirainesedai Senior Member Username: moirainesedai Post Number: 771 Registered: 2-2002 Rating: N/A |
wow there are more ways of making molokhaya than I knew!!!  We used to have it every Friday (sort of like your sunday) as a tradition. No friday would pass without us having it for dinner. I love it. My husband doesnt like it so much, that is it's not his favorite. I cant believe it!
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