Molokheyya: Yummy & Nutritious Middle Eastern Stew

Molokhia (or Mulukheyya or in Arabic ملوخية) is a green leafy plant that means food of the kings or royal. English name for it is Jute leaves. It is common in the Middle East and is cooked into a stew usually with chicken and rice on the side. Lots of lemon, fried garlic and cilantro involved. It is delicious, healthy and worth hitting local markets to find it. Interested?








The nutritional value of molokhia: 
"The leaves are rich in betacarotene, iron, calcium, Vitamin C and more than 32 vitamin and minerals and trace elements. The plant has a potent antioxidant activity with a significant α-tocopherol equivalent Vitamin E" (Wikipedia). Cooked molokhia might have the ability to "[smooth] the blood flow and [inhibit] the formation of clots" (MidEats).  

Cooking:
There are many versions of this dish. I will share with you here a sort of basic and common recipe that is very exotic and yummy. (Some leave the chicken in it though and others take it out of the broth and bake it separate).

Ingredients: (from Mideats with changes) 

- 1 package of frozen or little less than 1 pound fresh finely chopped molokhia leaves
Note: frozen is found in most Middle Eastern stores and is almost always sold chopped form but read the label to check. I prefer to mix fresh and frozen.
- 1 chicken (if you want to cook it roasted separately. Or in pieces if you want to leave it in the molokhia broth. I prefer the latter as the chicken takes all the flavor.
Note: some cook it with duck or rabbit or even lamb.
- water to boil the chicken and form some of the molokhia broth
- 1 onion cut in fourths
- 10 or so garlic cloves, minced
- some vegetable oil
- some ground coriander
- lemon juice
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 4-5 cardamom pods crushed to release flavor
- salt and pepper

Method (Courtesy of MidEats): 

(1) Make the base broth (some of which will be used to make the molokehya stew): Rinse the chicken under running water, rub with salt, rinse well, and place in a deep stainless steel pot. Add enough filtered water to cover the chicken and set on high heat. Add onion (chopped in fourths), bay leaves, cardamom pods, salt and pepper to the boiling chicken. Lower to medium heat and cook for 40 min to an hour (depending on chicken weight), until chicken is fully cooked and has reached an internal temperature of 190F.

(2) Roast the chicken: Remove the cooked chicken and place it in a baking dish. Add a tablespoon of ghee, and your herbs or spices of choice, spread it on the chicken, and broil in the oven for 10-12 minutes on a temperature of 400F until golden brown, flipping the chicken on the other side to roast midway.

(3) Make the garlic-coriander mixture: Using a mortar and pestle or a handheld electric grinder, mince 10 cloves of garlic. In a separate pot, melt 1 tablespoon of butter or ghee and add the crushed garlic. Add 1 tablespoon of ground coriander and a few drops of lemon juice to the garlic. Sauté the mixture for 2 minutes or until a little browned. 

(4) Mix it all together: Add 8-10 cups of the freshly made chicken broth to the garlic-coriander mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes. Try to break the molokhia (if frozen) into a few pieces first, then add them to the soup, stirring continuously to break up the frozen pieces. If using fresh leaves, simply drop the minced leaves into the broth and stir. Boil only for about 5 minutes until the molokhia is well mixed. Make sure not to overcook or keep boiling as molokhia needs to be suspended (overcooking makes the leaves fall to the bottom).

(5) Eat the stew: Many people add white rice to the molokhia, and some add crushed pieces of toasted pita bread. Others, like my grandma, would add the roasted chicken or duck, cut up into pieces into the molokhia. Personally, I now do neither. If I have rice, I only add a spoonful. And I enjoy the roasted bird or meat on the side, to better savor the flavors individually. But of course, there is no rule about how to eat molokhia – it is a matter of preference and tradition! In any case, the only rule is to savor every bite and to eat it while hot, because the flavor of molokhia is unparalleled. 

Source:
MidEats: http://mideats.com/molokheya/
And read about it on Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mulukhiyah

Photos:
1- http://www.anediblemosaic.com/?p=911
2- MidEats: http://mideats.com/molokheya/