So this is a difficult one to describe, as this leaf doesn't really appear in Western cuisine. Mloukheya, mulukhiyah, molokheyya, molokhia or mulukhiyyah (honestly, who knows how to spell it) is the leaves of Corchorus olitorius, which can also be known as jute, nalta jute, tossa jute, jute mallow or Jew's mallow. (Wikipedia helped us out there). So, to buy it you need to search the web... we've done it for you. Get the dried version here.
This dish is known and loved all over the Arab world, and there are as many variations as there are regions that make it. This recipe is a family favourite, we (Rose's fam) like it to be quite "soupy" whereas Jay's family prefer it to be drier and squeeze fresh lemon as it's plated up. This is somewhere in-between, but there really isn't a right or wrong, it's just down to preference so adjust accordingly.
Ingredients (feeds 4-6):
- 130g dried mloukheya
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 onion roughly chopped into chunks
- 1 tbsp whole black peppercorns
- 6 whole green cardamoms
- 1 black cardamom
- 12 cloves
-1 whole garlic bulb - minced
- 4 heaped tbsp dried coriander
- 55g red pepper paste (Aleppo pepper molasses)
- 1 - 2 lemons
- Oil for cooking with (we use olive oil but sunflower oil works)
- Salt
Method:
1. First, prep the mloukheya by picking out any discoloured leaves and discarding. Wash the leaves thoroughly - soak them for a few minutes and squeeze them into balls and put aside.
2. Place the chicken in a pressure cooker (a large pan is also fine) along with the cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, onion, black peppercorns, and a pinch of salt. Add water until it's just covered and cook until tender. If using a pressure cooker, this should take about 20-30 minutes (once it's up to pressure). If using a pan, keep it simmering for about and hour until tender.
3. Whilst the chicken is cooking, stir-fry the mloukheya in olive oil (about 40ml); continuously stir until it's aromatic and dark in colour. This should take about 7-8 minutes.
4. Add the coriander, the red pepper paste, 3/4 of the garlic and a pinch of salt and cook for another couple of minutes.
5. Once the chicken is tender, drain it and make sure you keep the broth.
6. Add about half to three-quarters of the broth (this is where you can decide how soupy you want it!) to the mloukheya and let it simmer on a low heat. Keep any remaining broth on the side in case you want to make it soupier later.
7. Break the chicken up so that it's in chunks (you could also shred it but we find it gets a little lost in the mix when it's shredded and like having bigger pieces!)
8. Add the chicken to the mloukheya and stir. Let it simmer.
9. Whilst it's simmering, squeeze the lemon and add it to the mloukheya. Taste and add more lemon and the remaining garlic if you like (we normally do as we like it punchy).
10. Serve with rice and a wedge of lemon. We also love having spring onions on the side too.
We'd love to see your creations. If you try this recipe, do tag us @TheFoodInstatution
R & J x
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