Egyptian Molokhia (molechaya) Soup

Yum! We love this soup! Molokhia is the Arabic word for a soup made from jute leaves which are a highly nutritious greens that are very popular in Middle Eastern countries. Once again, I am sharing one of my mother-in-laws authentic recipes.

 

 This is bag of frozen molokhia ; comes in a bag like frozen vegetables

In Egypt, Molokhia (Molechaya)  is eaten as a soup. In Lebanon, Molokhia is eaten as a stew. In Egypt the soup is made from chopped jute leaves. In Lebanon, they use the whole jute leaf for the stew.  

Although my authentic family recipe is extremely simple, it is still extremely good. Do you like ethnic recipes?

Rich in magnesium and calcium, Molokhia is good for the bones. 

It also contains other vitamins, is anti-inflammatory, and is thought to be a good immune booster. 

In Egypt, my mother-in-law always dried and prepared her own molokhia leaves, but the fresh leaves are not easy to find in the US.  

I am able to find frozen chopped Molokia leaves, imported from Egypt (and with a kosher hecture).The frozen variety works very well in recipes and cuts the work in half. In fact, it makes it one of easiest recipes ever. 

Molokia was a favorite when my husband was growing up, and he still loves it. Surprisingly, our American children and grandchildren love it too. What's not to like? It's delicious.

The beautiful green chopped molokhia leaves make a bright green soup that is part of a healthy meal. Loaded with vitamins and antioxidant, molokhia provides many benefits.

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Although the leaves look like spinach and is sometimes called Egyptian Spinach, Molokhia has a different taste and texture.  Like okra, molokai emits a slight bit of viscousness that actually thickens the soup. The hardest part of making this soup is actually finding the Molochia!

Where can you purchase it? 

Middle Eastern food stores or Lebanese, Egyptian, Israeli food stores will most likely carry frozen packages of imported Molokhia. Interestingly, the local produce store in Morrisville, Pa. ( near the bridge) carries it in their freezer section. A frozen package of chopped molokhia is only $1.39 a bag.

Once you find the Molokhia, you can prep and cook it rather easily and quickly. You will have to chop and onion and some garlic. That's the extent of the prep! After saluting the onion and garlic, it It cooks in about 15 minutes. 

Author of Blog: Judee Algazi

Prep Time : 5 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes to sauté and 15 minutes to cook

Serves: 4

Ingredients  

1 14 ounce bag of frozen Molokhia

1 cup of onion, chopped

3 cloves of garlic, chopped

4 cups of vegetable broth

1 cup of water

pinch of ground coriander  or to more taste ( I don't like the coriander so I leave it out, my husband loves it so he adds it into his bowl).

Directions: 

Add onions to a hot skillet, stir, reduce heat and add 2 tablespoons of water.  Sauté the onions for 3 minutes, stirring. Add garlic, the frozen Molokhia package(whole), and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Continue to cook on a low flame covered until the block of Molokhia melts. Add remainder of vegetable broth and water. Stir and cook until well heated about 5 minutes. Serve as is or serve over cooked rice. 

Notes: 

• Molokhia is often eaten over cooked rice. 
• Be sure to purchase chopped molokhia leaves for this recipe not regular molokhia. 
• If you can't find the chopped molokhia, you will need to use an immersion blender to partially blend the soup.

Sharing this post on Souper Sunday where anyone can share a soup, sammie, or salad recipe.. 

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