Monday, February 5, 2024

1762. Lebanese Molokhiya


Molokhiya is such a buzz in the Arab world, but I just couldn't bring myself to give it a chance after one botched experience. The leaves are naturally slimy, and the resulting stew is apparently a large pot of delicious slime. Problem is, I couldn't get myself to accept it. Now I've found the solution.
So, there is the Egyptian stew, which uses crushed dried leaves and the slimier the better, and there is the Lebanese stew, which uses the whole leaf. It's a good thing that I am not alone in my aversion to slime, and I picked up some tips to make this delicious stew 100% no-slime.



Ingredients:

To boil the chicken:
1 whole chicken
1 large quartered onion
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 chicken stock cubes

For the stew:
200g dried molokhiya
1 diced onion
8 crushed garlic
1 large bunch chopped coriander
1 finely chopped red capsicum
Salt to taste
1/2 tsp seven spice

For the condiment:
8 cloves garlic
2 long green chili peppers
1/2 cup vinegar
Fresh lemon wedges, to serve





Method:

Boil chicken for 1 hour, skimming the surface from the froth. Remove chicken strain stock for later use. Roughly shred chicken, set aside.
Lay the molokhiya on a tray and pick out visible stems and the flowery part that meets the stem (the tips). Boil twice, rinsing in between boiles. Squeeze into balls and discard the boiling water. Set aside.
Fry off the onion and diced capsicum for a few minutes, before adding the garlic and chopped coriander. Add the molokhiya and saute for a few minutes before adding the shredded chicken. Season with salt and seven spice. At this point add ladles of the stock up to you how soupy you like it. Cook on low for 45 minutes more stirring occasionally. 
Make the condiment meanwhile. Pound together the chili and garlic. Discard the seeds of the chili before if you want to decrease heat. Add to the vinegar, stir, and set aside until ready to serve.
Serve with vermicelli rice, the chili garlic condiment, and lemon wedges.

صحة و عافية

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