Molokhia soup delicious

Molokhia

I thought I'd start off the cuisine tour with an Egyptian staple: Molokhia. It also goes by the english names of Jew's mallow, Green mallow, or nalta jute. It is a leafy green vegetable that gets confused for spinach. Let's get one thing straight: it's not spinach nor can spinach be used as a substitute.

It's texture is what makes it unique: very slimy when cooked, which is why it makes an ideal soup. Though it is found in India and the Philippines, it has been a staple of Egyptian diets as far back as the Pharaohs. It's one of the few foods that existed prior to the numerous foreign conquest of the country.

Some claim its introduction as a food was made by ancient Jewish priests, hence the name Jew’s mallow. It is also eaten in neighbouring Libya and the Levantine countries (Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon), however it is not nearly as popular as it is in Egypt. In Egypt, molokhia is eaten at most special occasions or at least once a week for family meals. It's the type of dish your mom cooks when a lot of friends or family is coming over. But it's not the dish you serve to impress new guests. For that reason it's not well-known outside of Egyptian households, though a few restaurants serve it in Egypt.

The vegetable is prepared into a viscous soup that is flavoured with garlic and ground coriander and poured onto rice, or cut pita bread and eaten with chicken or rabbit. The key spicing comes from the simple preparation of the taqliya, which is made using equal amounts of chopped garlic and ground coriander, then roasting it until it is golden brown in butter.

Walking the streets of Cairo, you are bound to come across the distinct aroma of the taqliya as households prepare molokhia. In fact, one of Egypt's rulers from the Fatimid dynasty, Caliph al-Hakim Abu Ali Mansur, who ruled Egypt from 985-1021 AD, banned its consumption after prohibiting women from going out in public, simply because he believed molokhia worked as a sexual stimulant in women. Luckily after his reign, the ban was lifted, and households continued to uphold the traditional meal—regardless of religion—across the country.

The recipe is quite simple, as is the case with most Egyptian dishes. The only trick is making the taqliya, which takes about 3 minutes and should not be painful. If you mess up, you can easily do it again.

If you are not in the mood to make your own stock, then use a packaged one. It doesn't change much; but its not nearly as fresh tasting.

Also, I would suggest staying away from any instant Uncle Ben's crap rice. It's not real nor does it have any flavour or texture. Spare the 15 minutes to make your own, or get a rice cooker.

Molokhia:
6. In a new pot, add the two cups of stock.
7. Prepare the taqliya by melting the butter and adding both the ground coriander and half of the garlic. If grinding the coriander with a pestle and mortar, be sure that the coriander seeds have all been crushed thoroughly; it will still be chunky compared to store-bought ground coriander.
8. Once the coriander and garlic have been covered in the butter, continue to stir while on high heat until the colour turns golden. Set aside the taqliya.
9. In the stock add the remaining garlic. Also add the molokhia. If using frozen, it does not need to be thawed beforehand.
10. Once the molokhia has reached a hot, but not boiling temperature, add the taqliya mixture and stir to ensure it is evenly distributed.
11. Serve the molokhia on a bed of rice. If desired, spoon some of the pickled onions.
12. Often the chicken from the stock is cut into quarters and fried in butter or roasted in the oven as an accompaniment.

Variation:
Instead of using a bed of rice, serve the molokhia into a soup bowl and add cut-up pita bread.

And there you have it. So frick'n yummy. And it tastes good cold with pita bread come day two, or three or four. Or sometimes five when you're really hungry and lazy. And don't let anyone call it spinach.