Molokhia: Egypt's Green Garlic Soup and How to Eat It

What is molokhia?

Molokhia is both a leafy green and the soup Egyptians make from it, and for many families it is the taste of home. The plant is jute mallow (Corchorus olitorius), a relative of the jute used to make hessian, whose young leaves are eaten across Egypt, the Levant, North and West Africa and South Asia. In Egypt the leaves are chopped so finely they almost dissolve, giving a soup that is dark green, smooth and garlicky.

It is not a starter. In an Egyptian home, molokhia is part of the main lunch: a bowl of it sits beside a plate of rice, the boiled-then-roasted chicken or rabbit that made the stock, bread, salad and pickles. Egyptians abroad crave it, and dried and frozen molokhia are sold in Middle Eastern grocers in Sydney and Melbourne for exactly that reason.

Why is molokhia slimy, and will you like it?

Jute mallow leaves release a natural mucilage, like okra, so molokhia has a slippery, slightly stretchy texture; most visitors find the flavour delicious and the texture an acquired taste. The taste itself is mild, earthy and a little like spinach, carried by a strong hit of garlic and coriander.

Good cooks keep the texture in check by adding the chopped leaves to boiling stock and cooking them only briefly. Overcooked molokhia separates and the leaves sink, which Egyptian cooks consider a failure. If you're unsure, order it as part of a mixed lunch so you're not committed to a whole bowl, and try it spooned over rice, which is how many people prefer it. Children in Egyptian families grow up on it, so it is one of the dishes Egyptians are proudest to share with guests, and accepting a small bowl is a kind gesture even if you don't finish it.

What is the taqliya, and why do cooks gasp?

The taqliya is the finishing sizzle: crushed garlic and ground coriander fried in ghee or oil until golden and poured into the pot at the last moment. It gives molokhia its signature aroma, and an Egyptian kitchen fills with the smell when it hits the soup.

Many Egyptian cooks give a sharp intake of breath, the shahqa, as the taqliya goes in. Ask why and you will hear several explanations: that it keeps the leaves from sinking, that it is simply how grandmother did it, or that it is just for luck. It is a kitchen ritual rather than a technique, and hosts in an Egyptian cooking class love to demonstrate it.

How does molokhia vary around Egypt?

The leaves are the constant, but the stock and the protein change with the region and the household.

• Cairo and the Delta: chicken stock is standard, and rabbit (molokhia bil araneb) is a celebrated classic; duck and goose are popular in the Delta.
• Alexandria and Port Said: coastal cooks make it with fish stock and prawns, a version well worth ordering at a seafood restaurant. See seafood in Egypt.
• Upper Egypt: dried molokhia leaves, crushed to a powder, are often used, giving a darker, earthier soup.

Fresh molokhia is a summer crop, so leaves are at their best from roughly May to October; frozen chopped molokhia is used the rest of the year.

How did molokhia get its name?

The name is popularly linked to the Arabic word for king, and the dish has a colourful royal history. One well-known story says the Fatimid caliph al-Hakim bi-Amr Allah, who ruled Egypt from Cairo in the late 10th and early 11th centuries, banned molokhia, possibly because of its association with rival factions or as part of his many unusual decrees. Like many food stories, the details vary with the teller, but the ban is recorded by medieval historians, and the dish clearly survived it.

How do you eat molokhia, and where can you try it?

Spoon it over white rice, or scoop it with pieces of bread folded into little cups; eat it with the meat or chicken on the side. Some people squeeze lemon over it or add chopped onion soaked in vinegar.

The best molokhia is home-cooked, so a cooking class or a home-hosted lunch is ideal. In restaurants, look for it at places that serve Egyptian home cooking rather than grills. In Cairo, Abou El Sid in Zamalek has served traditional Egyptian dishes, including molokhia, in a nostalgic setting for many years, and was trading at the time of writing; businesses change, so check before you go. On a Nile cruise or dahabiya, the kitchen often serves molokhia on an Egyptian night, and you can ask for it.

Is molokhia vegetarian, and how is it made?

Traditional molokhia is not vegetarian because it is cooked in meat, chicken or rabbit stock, but it is easy to make with vegetable stock and oil, and Coptic fasting versions exist. Ask for it siyami (fasting style) and check; our vegetarian and vegan guide has the phrases.

The method is quick once the stock is ready. Strip the leaves from the stems, wash and dry them, then chop them very finely with a makhrata, a curved two-handled blade rocked back and forth across the leaves. Bring well-flavoured stock to the boil, add the leaves and stir; the soup should not boil hard again. Meanwhile fry plenty of crushed garlic and ground coriander in ghee until golden, add it to the pot with that famous gasp, and serve at once with rice, bread and the meat from the stock.