Mlukhieh Palestinian
Palestine's summer stew: finely chopped jute leaves simmered in chicken stock and finished with a fried-garlic-and-coriander tarka.
Overview
Chicken thighs poach with onion, bay, cardamom and cinnamon to make a fragrant stock and tender meat. Finely chopped frozen mlukhieh leaves (the easiest way; sold at Middle Eastern shops) tip into the strained hot stock; simmer for 25 minutes. Meanwhile, a tarka: lots of crushed garlic and ground coriander fry in olive oil until fragrant and just gold. The tarka stirs into the simmering mlukhieh, this is the Palestinian signature step. Salt to season. Served over rice with the poached chicken alongside and a squeeze of lemon.
Ingredients
Chicken stock
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs (or 1 small whole chicken jointed)
- 1 onion (medium, halved)
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 green cardamom pods (bruised)
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
- 1 ½ teaspoons salt
- 1.6 litres water
Mlukhieh
- 500 g frozen finely chopped mlukhieh (jute mallow / molokhia, sold at Middle Eastern shops)
- OR 200 g dried whole mlukhieh leaves, soaked 1 hour and chopped fine
- OR 1 kg fresh mlukhieh leaves (stripped from stems, chopped very fine, rarely available outside the region)
Tarka
- 4 tablespoons olive oil (or 2 tablespoons olive oil + 2 tablespoons ghee)
- 10 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander (chopped - both leaves and stems)
- ½ teaspoon chilli flakes
To finish
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
To serve
- 400 g basmati rice (cooked, fluffy)
- 2 lemons (cut into wedges)
- 1 red onion (small, diced and soaked briefly in vinegar - optional Palestinian-style relish)
- Khobz (or pita)
Method
Stage 1 - Chicken and stock
- Place chicken in a large pot with onion, bay, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns and salt.
- Cover with the water.
- Bring to a simmer; skim thoroughly.
- Reduce heat; cover loosely; cook 35-40 minutes until the chicken is just tender.
- Lift out the chicken onto a plate; keep warm under foil.
- Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pot. You should have about 1.4 litres of clear stock.
Stage 2 - Mlukhieh
- Bring the strained stock back to a simmer.
- Add the frozen mlukhieh straight into the pot (no need to defrost - drop it in frozen).
- Stir; bring back to a gentle simmer; cook 20-25 minutes. The mlukhieh thaws and integrates; the stock thickens slightly into a dark green soup.
- Don't boil hard - the mlukhieh "breaks" with rough boiling.
Stage 3 - Tarka (the Palestinian signature)
- Heat olive oil (or oil-ghee mix) in a wide pan over medium heat.
- Add crushed garlic; cook 1 minute - stir constantly, don't let it brown.
- Add ground coriander; stir 30 seconds.
- Off heat; stir in fresh coriander and Aleppo pepper.
Stage 4 - Combine
- Tip the tarka into the simmering mlukhieh.
- The pot will hiss and bubble vigorously - this is what infuses the dish with garlic-and-coriander aroma.
- Stir well.
- Simmer 5 more minutes.
- Season with extra salt and pepper to taste.
Stage 5 - Serve
- Place a mound of fluffy basmati rice on each plate.
- Ladle a generous portion of mlukhieh over.
- Set a piece of poached chicken to one side.
- Squeeze of lemon (or scatter vinegared onion).
- Bread for mopping.
Notes
- Frozen mlukhieh is the easy choice: Sold at almost any Middle Eastern shop in 400-500g bags. Pre-chopped, ready to use. Dried whole leaves require more work (soaking, chopping); fresh is impossible to find outside the region.
- Don't boil hard: Vigorous boiling causes the mlukhieh to "break" - the texture goes lumpy and the colour murky. Gentle simmer throughout.
- Tarka in last: Frying the garlic and coriander separately and stirring in at the end is the Palestinian touch. Egyptian molokhia adds the garlic differently; the Palestinian version is bolder and more garlic-forward.
Storage
- Refrigerate 3 days; reheats well.
- Freezes 3 months.
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