Let’s see, how to write ملوخية in English?
How about Mulukhiyah, mloukhiya, molokhia, molokhiya, mulukhiyya, or malukhiyah?

No matter what you call it or how you write it, this green stew has been one of the most requested recipes on this blog! the funny thing is that I always seem to find the time to write the recipe over and over again in replies to emails and messages but I never seem to find the time to write a decent post about it on the blog!! Well that is about to change.

For this month’s  MENA club assignment, the country we are featuring is Jordan 🙂 . If you have never been to Jordan, do check out my posts about Petra, Jerash ,and take a walk in the old markets in Downtown Amman  with me to get a glimpse of what you’re missing.

We were given a choice between  Freekeh soup , Arabic coffee and Mulukhiyah. I was really tempted to post about Arabic coffee but since my kids love mulukhiyah so much and it is has been requested by so many of you, I decided to go with Mloukhiya!

What is molokhia?

If you are still staring at the title and the pictures and have never tried (or heard of) mloukhiya , allow me to explain. Mulukhyia commonly known as Nalta jute and tossa jute is a leafy green plant that is cooked and served in the form of a stew with chicken, beef or even rabbit meat in Egypt and the Levant and other parts of the Arabic world.

What does molokhia mean?

The name Mulukhyia (molokhia) originates from the word Mulukia which means that which belongs to the royals. The story goes that this recipe which originated from Egypt was only served to the pharaohs. It was a food fit for royals because of its health benefits which you can read more about here. With time though the recipe found its way to the rest of the population and from there it spread to the neighboring Levant.

What do you serve with molokhia?

Mulukhyia is usually served with rice, some people however like to make it thicker and serve it with pita bread for dipping. Either way it is really a stew fit for royalty

Mulukhyia

For 4 people:
1 onion chopped
300 g beef cubes (the amount is really up to you, you can use goat meat or chicken, if you decide to use chicken you will need a whole chicken cut into 4 pieces)
1 liter of water
3-4 tablespoons olive oil
2 bags of frozen chopped mulukhyia (400g each) or 800 grams of fresh chopped Mulukhyia
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 head of garlic peeled(less if you want)
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil to fry the garlic

Saute the onions in the 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
Add the beef cubes or the chicken cutlets, sear for 3-4 min on each side
Add 1 liter of water or just enough to cover the meat
Cook over medium heat until the meat is done (I usually do this in the pressure cooker and press them for 5 min)

Add the frozen mulukhyia and stir until it thaws completely and then comes to a boil

In another pan add the 1/4 to 1/2 cup of olive oil and the cloves of garlic and cook over medium low heat until you can smell the garlic (don’t brown it, it will become bitter)

Add the oil and garlic to the mulukhyia and lower the heat and simmer for 5-10 minutes
Add salt to taste

Serve with a generous amount of lemon juice.

You can serve it with some short grain rice or some pita bread