Milookhiyya(Egyptian Green Herb Soup)
Submitted by cheapskate4
Egyptian Molokhia (Milookhiyya) soup with jute mallow leaves, garlic, and ground coriander in a tomato-spiked broth. Traditionally served over rice with chicken or game.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
30 minCOOK
30 minREADY
60 minMolokhia is the national dish of Egypt, a green herb soup that’s been simmered along the Nile for thousands of years. Its name comes from the Arabic for “royal", and pharaohs were said to favor it. The dish uses jute mallow leaves, which produce a distinctive silky thickness when cooked, similar to okra.
If you can’t source true molokhia leaves, spinach is the most common substitute. The flavor isn’t identical but the texture and color carry the spirit of the dish. Frozen molokhia is sold at Middle Eastern groceries and is the most authentic alternative.
The taqliya is the soul of this soup, that’s the garlic-coriander paste fried in olive oil and added at the end. Pounding the garlic and ground coriander into a smooth paste releases their oils far more completely than just mincing.
Fry the taqliya only until the garlic is lightly golden. Past that, it turns bitter and ruins the soup’s delicate balance. The sizzle when it hits the soup is iconic, traditional cooks use it as a dinner-bell signal.
Kitchen Tips
- Use a homemade chicken or rabbit stock if you can. Boxed stock works but lacks the depth that traditional preparations rely on.
- Don’t boil the soup hard after adding the greens, gentle simmering preserves the bright color and silky texture.
- Serve immediately. The soup thickens and the flavor mutes if it sits.
- Squeeze fresh lemon over individual bowls at the table for brightness.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
In a heavy 3 to 4 qt saucepan, bring stock to a boil over high heat.
Stir in the milookhiyya stock, tomato paste, salt and a few grindings of the pepper and reduce the heat to low.
Stirring occasionally, simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the milookhiyya stock has dissolved and the soup is thick and smooth.
With a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon, mash the garlic and coriander to a smooth paste.
In a small skillet, heat the oil over moderate heat.
When hot, add the garlic and coriander and, stirring constantly, cook for a minute or two until the garlic is lightly browned.
Add the entire contents of the skillet to the soup and, stirring all the time, simmer for 2 or 3 minutes more.
Taste for seasoning and serve at once from a heated tureen.
In Egypt, milookhiyya stalk is often accompanied by hot cooked rice and sliced boiled chicken or game birds, presented separately on individual plates.
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