Egyptian Molokhia with Broiled Chicken

Egyptian Molokheya is one of the favorite dishes for me and my husband, it's a green soup with Taaleyah or sauteed garlic made by mixing any kind of broth with rinsed and finely chopped green leaves that look more like basil but bigger with so different taste, and it's NOT spinach because some people think it is but it's something different. This dish is fabulous in winter; in Egypt there are many ways to cook Molokhia using chicken broth, or rabbit - which is the most famous in Egypt called "Mulukhiyah Bel Arraneb"-, duck, pigeon, or even shrimp broth, and then served with the meat they used its broth; also every family has its own special steps to prepare it some like to make tomato sauce beside it, some like to mix tomatoes or tomato sauce in the recipe, and some don't add any tomatoes, also fresh leaves could be used in this recipe as well as finely chopped frozen leaves. I will show you how to make it with chicken with my mother in law's recipe that my husband really love ;)
The distinctive taste in this particular recipe comes from adding onion and tomato juice to it but first rubbing the onions with salt and pepper (it's a really important step that changes flavor) so let's just skip to the recipe to see it with step by step tutorial. :)

Molokheya Leaves

Recipe Tip:-
Don't Cover Don't Boil:
In the country in Egypt many decades ago they used to determine the best bride who can cook well by making her cook Molokheya, if she failed then she's not a good cook, and if she succeeded then she's an expert cook; how is that? They called the bad Molokhia "Molokheya Sa'ata" which means "fallen Molokheya", the failed Molokheya has two layers one is the green Molokheya at the bottom and the other layer on the top is about 1 inch of broth, and when you stir they mix and just get back to two layers again; that's caused by three things whether you 1 added so much broth, 2 covered Molokheya while cooking or after adding "Ta'aleya" (garlic and butter mix), you shouldn't cover it; or 3 you boiled it, NEVER boil Molokheya not even simmer, cooking it is like making Turkish coffee you cook it over low heat and once heated and going to simmer remove from heat right away.

Serves: 3 to 4 people
Prep. Time: 15 min.
Cooking Time: 15 min. approx



Ingredients:
1 boiled chicken
400 gm frozen Mulukhiyah
1 medium large red onion, chopped
3 tomatoes, juiced
salt & pepper to taste
1 1/4 liter chicken broth
10 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds
1/4 cup or 50 gm unsalted butter

Directions:
1- Place the chicken broth in a medium pan on high heat, rub the onions well with salt and pepper using your fingers then add it to the broth, then add tomato juice and stir, add salt and pepper to taste, once boiled lower the heat to medium low till the onions become tender.

2- Remove the broth from heat and add the frozen Molokhia and let melt for 3 minutes the back to very low heat and stir till totally melted and cooked (you know it's cooked once it's heated and start to simmer remove from heat right away).

3- While making Molokhia prepare Ta'aleya or sauteed garlic, melt the butter in a pan over medium heat then add the garlic and coriander and stir till the garlic starts to get golden then pour on Molokheya once cooked and stir once.

4- Sprinkle salt and pepper on the boiled chicken and broil on medium low for 10 min. or till golden, serve Molokheya with pickles, and steamed rice or Egyptian bread as you desire.