Mains
Smooth Molokhia
There are many ways to make molokhia: coarse, smooth, dried, green... the important thing is that anyone who loves molokhia will love it in all its forms and colors. This recipe is distinctly Jerusalem-style, so give it a try.
Ingredients
Start here, then move straight into the method.
- Pieces of whole chicken
- 1 dried onion
- 1/2 teaspoon curry
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Bay leaf
- 5 cardamom pods
- 1 kilo smooth molokhia
- Juice of 2 lemons
- 1 bunch fresh green coriander
- 5 cloves garlic
- 3 tablespoons ketchup
- 1 teaspoon paprika (ground red pepper)
Method
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- Wash the chicken pieces well and place them in water to poach. Boil them first and when white scum appears skim it off, then add poaching spices—bay leaves, cardamom pods, black pepper—along with a finely chopped onion and curry powder.
- When the chicken is cooked, remove it from the poaching liquid and set aside. Strain the poaching liquid of the spices and add the liquid to the smooth molokhia.
- Let the molokhia boil to take on the flavor of the chicken poaching liquid, skimming any foam that appears. After boiling, add lemon juice, finely chopped fresh cilantro, and crushed garlic. Divide the garlic in two: one tablespoon goes directly into the molokhia, and the rest is fried in a little oil and then added on top.
- For the chicken set aside after poaching, coat it with ketchup, paprika, curry powder, black pepper, lemon juice, crushed garlic, and a drizzle of vegetable oil; mix well with this seasoning and then bake it in the oven until well browned.
- When serving the molokhia, present the chicken on a side plate alongside cooked rice. Cook the rice in the traditional way with vermicelli or without, according to preference.
Recipe tags
MainsEgyptianDairy freeGluten freeNut freeEgg free
Notes and serving ideas
- Dried Molokhia
