Molokhia - Egyptian Green Leaf Soup with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

For the Fried onion

1. 4
   Cook the chicken in the water about 45 minutes, until tender. Remove the chicken, pull it into pieces and reserve the stock.

   StoveLarge pot
2. 5
   Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium heat.

   StovePot
3. 6
   Add and fry 5–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until the onion is soft and translucent and starts to turn golden at the edges. If it browns too fast, lower the heat.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
4. 7
   Add the garlic and fry 2 minutes, just until fragrant. Don't let the garlic brown.

   Stove

To assemble

1. 8
   Add the cilantro and cumin and fry 1 minute, until fragrant.

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2. 9
   Add the stock and bring to a boil.

   Stove
3. 10
   Add the molokhia, salt and black pepper and cook 10–15 minutes, until the leaves are tender and the soup is thick.

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4. 11
   Add the butter and lemon juice and stir.
5. 12
   Serve with rice and with the chicken pieces.