Chicken Molokhiya Soup

Click to Enlarge	Chicken Molokhiya Soup Egypt
	Serves Effort: Sched: DoAhead:	6 soup *** 1-1/2 hr Part		A very popular dish in Egypt since the Pharaohs (who didn't have chickens but could use frogs, fish and rabbits). While its mucilaginous texture may take some Americans aback, it's very much appreciated all over the Middle East. Fresh molokhiya is easily available in Los Angeles during the summer, sold as Okra Leaf. The rest of the year, and in most other cities, you have to use frozen - available from markets serving Middle Eastern communities.

1
1-1/2
3
3
1
1/2
6
4
1
1/2
1
1
-------
1
1/2
1/16

#
#
c
oz

c
cl
t
t
T
T
---
c
c
t

Molokhiya (1)
Chicken (2)
Rice, cooked
Onions
Cardamom pod
Bay Leaf
Broth, Chicken
Garlic
Coriander seeds
Salt
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
-- Condiment
Wine Vinegar
Red Onion
Cinnamon

Prep

Wash MOLOKHYA. Strip off the leaves and discard the stems. Either chop the leaves very fine (regular) or roll them very tight a handful at a time and shave them into fine threads (gourmet version). Refrigerate until needed.
Chop ONION very fine.
Put CHICKEN, Onion, Bay Leaf and Cardamom Pod into a pot and simmer until chicken is done, about 45 minutes.
Fish out the chicken, leaf and pod. Cool chicken, strip from bones and tear up or cut meat as you desire and set aside.
Crush GARLIC, slice and chop fine. Grind CORIANDER.
Heat Oil and stir in Garlic, Coriander and Salt over moderate heat until garlic is light golden, then stir into soup.

Run

For Condiment: chop RED ONION fine, mix with Vinegar and Cinnamon - not too far ahead or it becomes mushy.
Bring Soup up to a simmer.
Check for Salt. Add Molokhiya to the soup and bring back to a simmer for about four minutes stirring just a little. Do not overcook or the molokhiya will sink to the bottom - not desirable. Stir in Lemon Juice and take off heat.
In individual bowls put some Rice in the bottom, place as much Chicken as desired over it and then ladle in the soup. Serve immediately as it loses its bright green color (Note-3).

NOTES:

Molokhiya: This weight is "on the stems" and will yield about 7 ounces of good leaves. If this makes a soup that's too thick for you use less or cut it back with more chicken broth, salt and lemon juice. A similar weight of frozen molokhiya should give about the same effect and is usually added to the pot frozen and stirred a little until thawed. See my Molokhiya Page for more information.
Chicken: Weight is for raw chicken free of skin, bones and fat. Use 2 pounds if joints with bone in. You can, of course, use any cooked chicken you have on hand, including fried or roasted. In Egypt the chicken is often fried or oven roasted with a little sumac and zatar (thyme) after it is cooked in the broth. You can get both cooked chicken and broth from simmering a whole chicken or chicken parts while making a big batch of broth - just take what you need for this recipe.
Color: Kept overnight the color becomes the same as the color of stuffed grape leaves. Flavor and consistency remain about the same.
Wine Vinegar: Called "Grape Vinegar" in Islamic countries, ignoring the fact that you have to make wine before you can make vinegar.

U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch