Molokhia

Egyptian jute-leaf soup finished with sizzling garlic-coriander tasha.

Preparation: 15 min · Cooking: 20 min · Total: 35 min · 5 servings

Ingredients

• 400 g minced molokhia leaves — Use fresh or frozen finely minced leaves; if frozen, add directly to hot stock.
• 900 ml chicken stock — Use ready-to-eat stock; check packaged stock for declared allergens.
• 5 clove garlic cloves — Peel and finely mince.
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 500 g freshly cooked rice (optional) — Optional; serve hot and store separately from the soup.
• 20 g ghee — Contains milk; use for the garlic-coriander tasha.

Instructions

1. Heat stock and molokhia gently

   Bring 900 ml ready-to-eat chicken stock to a gentle simmer in a pot. Stir in 400 g finely minced molokhia leaves, fresh or frozen. Heat on low to medium-low for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leaves are tender and the soup is hot throughout; do not let it boil hard.

   Leaves are tender and soup is hot throughout without a hard boil.

   Warm molokhia: 600 seconds

2. Prepare the tasha pan

   Peel and finely mince the 5 garlic cloves and measure 2 tsp ground coriander. Melt 20 g ghee in a small skillet over medium heat, about 1 minute. Keep the garlic ready so the ghee does not overheat.

3. Fry garlic and coriander

   Add the garlic and coriander to the melted ghee and stir for about 3 minutes until fragrant and pale golden, not dark brown. Remove the skillet from heat immediately if the garlic begins to scorch.

   Fry garlic-coriander tasha: 180 seconds

4. Finish and serve

   Pour the sizzling garlic-coriander tasha into the hot molokhia and stir. Check that the soup reaches 74 C if measured, warming gently if needed without a hard boil. Serve at once, with 500 g freshly cooked hot rice if using.

   Soup is hot throughout and reaches 74 C if measured.

Tips

• Keep the soup below a hard boil to preserve its silky texture.
• Add the sizzling tasha at the end for a clear garlic-coriander aroma.

Common mistakes

• Dark-brown garlic makes the soup bitter.
• Boiling hard after adding the leaves spoils the texture.

Substitutions

• For a vegetarian version, use 900 ml vegetable stock and 20 g neutral oil instead of chicken stock and ghee; check stock labels.

Storage

Cover and refrigerate leftover soup separately from rice at 4 C or below within 2 hours; eat soup within 3 days. Cool any cooked rice promptly and use within 24 hours.

Reheating

Reheat soup gently until steaming hot throughout (74 C if measured), without a hard boil. Reheat stored rice only once until steaming hot.

About this recipe

In Egypt, finely chopped molokhia leaves are commonly cooked in broth and finished with a sizzling garlic-and-coriander tasha, often served with rice.

Editorial approval does not establish independent kitchen testing. Check allergens and follow safe food handling.