Molokhia is eaten across Africa and the Middle East, but its roots trace back to ancient Egypt, where it's still a beloved staple. In the Egyptian version, the leaves are stripped from the stems, minced finely, and simmered with garlic, ground coriander, and chicken stock. In the Levant (Syria and Lebanon), it's made with whole leaves and paired with vinegar-onion sauce and toasted pita. I'd used the molokhia plant in Japanese cooking for years but first tasted molokhia soup while working in a Saudi Arabian kitchen alongside Egyptian, Syrian, and Lebanese chefs. Its simplicity floored me: deeply savory, refreshingly herbal, and naturally thickened by the namesake ingredient.
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Why This Recipe Works
- Aromatic broth sets the foundation. Simmering chicken with warm spices like cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaf infuses the stock with layers of umami and flavor.
- Taqliya adds depth. Garlic and ground coriander are mashed and sautéed to create taqliya, the aromatic backbone of molokhia. Blooming these ingredients in oil amplifies their savory punch and balances the viscosity of the greens.
- Chopped molokhia transforms texture. In contrast to Lebanese molokhiya, this Egyptian recipe is made by mincing the molokhia leaves, which gives the soup its characteristic body. It also breaks down fibrous stems, making the dish smoother and easier to eat.
- Roasting the chicken delivers contrast. Simmering the chicken renders out extra fat from the skin, making it easy to crisp in the oven, adding a texture and flavor contrast to the silky soup.
What is Molokhia?
Molokhia ( ملوخية), also known as Mulukhiyah, Jute, or Jews Mallow is the name of both a plant and a dish. It has medium sized saw-toothed leaves that come to a point at the tip and have small tendrils at the base of each leaf. Like other members of the mallow family, including okra and marsh mallow, the plant has a mucilaginous texture that's intensified by bruising and lightly cooking the leaves.
Nutritionally, it has three times the calcium and phospherous as kale, and four times the amount of riboflavin. It also provides 70% of the RDA value for Vitamin C, 25% of the RDA of Vitamin A amongst a host of other minerals and vitamins. Put simply, it's an extremely nutrient dense vegetable that's widely eaten throughout the Middle East and Asia.
Ingredients
- Lemon Juice — Cuts through the soup's richness and provides a bright contrast to the herbal molokhia leaves.
- Fresh Molokhia — The star of the dish, these leaves provide body and a deeply herbal flavor. Frozen molokhia can be used if fresh is unavailable. It also goes by the name bai po in Thailand, nalta sag in India, saluyotin in the Philippines, and moroheiya in Japan.
- Chicken — Simmered to create a rich, collagen-laced broth and roasted for crispy skin to complement the velvety soup. For vegetarians or vegans, just substitute some vegetable stock for the chicken stock and serve it with roasted veggies such as bell peppers, zucchini, and eggplant.
- Onion — Adds sweetness and depth to the stock as it breaks down during simmering.
- Garlic — A key aromatic in the taqliya that brings pungency and depth.
- Green Cardamom — Infuses the broth with a warming, slightly citrusy fragrance.
- Cinnamon Stick — Adds gentle spice and earthy sweetness to round out the broth.
- Bay Leaf — Brings a subtle herbal note that lingers in the background.
- Ground Coriander Seeds — Offers a lemony, earthy balance to the sharpness of garlic.
- Egyptian Rice — Molokhiya is usually served on top of rice, and using the stock from the chicken to cook the rice makes it ultra flavorful.
- Clarified Butter — Infuses nutty aroma and a silky finish to the final taqliya topping.
How to Make Molokhia
Start by simmering the chicken with onions, cardamom, cinnamon, and bay leaf. Skim the foam off the surface to keep the broth clear. Once the chicken is cooked through, transfer it to a bowl and cover it to retain moisture. You’ll be using the stock for both the molokhia and the rice.
While the chicken simmers, prep the molokhia. Strip the leaves from their stems and give them a good wash to remove grit. I like to mince them finely using a mezzaluna, but a food processor works well too. Don’t over-process—the texture should be soft, not puréed.
Make the taqliya by pounding garlic, coriander, and salt into a paste with olive oil. Divide this into three portions. The first gets smeared over the chicken skin before it’s roasted until golden. The second is sautéed to season the soup. The third is browned with ghee for the finishing touch, infusing the whole dish with toasty garlic aroma.
To finish, gently simmer the minced molokhia with stock and taqliya until the soup thickens slightly. Add lemon juice to balance the earthiness. Serve the soup alongside rice cooked in the same spiced stock, with roast chicken nestled on top. Pour the hot molokhia over rice and chicken at the table so every bite is soaked with flavor.
Serve This With
To round out the meal, I like to serve this with a few mezze-style dishes that complement the comforting richness of this molokhia recipe. Loubieh Bi Zeit (green beans stewed in olive oil) offers a tangy counterpoint and echoes the slow-cooked warmth of the dish. Mutabbal brings smoky richness, while Labneh adds cooling creaminess that softens the garlicky kick. A bowl of fresh Tabouleh lends crunch and acidity, and Muhammara delivers sweet heat and texture from walnuts and roasted peppers. Together, they make the table feel generous and alive—perfect for sharing.
📖 Recipe
Units
Ingredients
- ½ large chicken (or 1 small about 750 grams)
- 1 medium onion (quartered)
- 12 pods green cardamom
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 cups water
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 6 medium cloves garlic
- 1 tablespoon ground coriander seeds
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 500 grams fresh molokhia
- 2 cups Egyptian short-grain rice
- 2 tablespoons ghee (clarified butter)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
Instructions
- Add the chicken, onions, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaf salt and water to a stock pot that's just large enough to hold the chicken. The chicken should be completely submerged. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove the lid and skim off any scum that accumulates on the surface. Keep skimming until there's no more foam coming up. Turn the heat down to a simmer, and cook the chicken for 20 minutes.
- To make the Taqliya, combine the garlic, coriander and olive oil and salt and mash together into a paste.
- Prepare the molokhia by removing the leaves from the stems, then washing them thoroughly to remove the grit that accumulates on the leaves. Use a mezzaluna or chef's knife to mince the leaves. You can also put them in a food processor and pulse.
- When the chicken is done, transfer it to a bowl using tongs, and cover the chicken with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out.
- Thoroughly wash the rice and cook it according to the direction on the package, but substitute the chicken stock for the water.
- When the rice 15 minutes away from being done, preheat the oven to 230 C (450 degrees F) spread about ⅓ of the Taqliya on the chicken skin, sprinkle with salt, and then place the chicken on a roasting pan. Bake the chicken for 15 minutes, or until the skin is golden brown.
- Add half the remaining Taqliya to a pot. Fry the mixture until fragrant and browned. Add the 1 ½ cups of reserved chicken stock, along with the minced molokhia. Gently simmer, stirring occasionally until the molokhia is cooked (about 10-15 minutes). If you like your molokhia thinner, add more chicken stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add the remaining Taqliya to a small frying pan along with 2 tablespoons of ghee. Fry until the garlic has browned.
- Add the lemon juice to the molokhia and stir it in.
- To serve, put the rice on a large platter. Section the chicken into pieces and place them on top of the rice. Serve the Molokhia in a separate bowl to pour on the rice and chicken.
Joyce Mutungi says
This vegetable is eaten in western Kenya as mrenda by the Luyia and luo people groups. Very nice served with ugali and any meat
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Joyce, thanks for the education in Kenyan cuisine. I love hearing how the same ingredient is used in different cultures around the world!
Doaa says
I’m Egyptian, this dish is one of main dishes here in Egypt. Your way of preparing it is most close to our way with taqlilah:)
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Doaa, I'm glad to hear you approve! Thanks for stopping by to let me know😉
Frances Kawala says
My Egyptian husband taught me how to cook this, but can rarely - as in never - find it in Ireland. Luckily, I was given a packet of seeds recently (thousands of them!) and it's growing in my greenhouse! Looking forward to cooking it soon. Thanks for the recipe though . . .
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Frances, good luck with the Molokhia. It's so expensive to buy fresh here, I may have to look into getting some seeds.
Anna says
Hi Frances Kawala and Marc Matsumoto,
I am from Canada. I first tried this dish many years ago when my friend who is Armenian, Italian and French (but lived in Lebanon) made it for me. It was delicious. I loved the onion, wine vinegar and crunchy pita bits of bread on top of the chicken, Basmati rice and minced frozen Molokhia Greens. All the textures were a perfect taste combination.
Frances when I read that you grew yours from seed I had to respond. And I also read that Marc is also interested in the seed too. Can either of you please advise me as to how I can obtain the seed so I can grow it here in Canada?
Thank you,
Anna
PS Marc: Does the ingredients for the Molokhia that I described above sound like a modified version of the dish or is it a Lebanese recipe? I don’t remember tasting any cardamom, cinnamon or coriander.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Anna, Molokhia was originally an Egyptian dish, but it's spread all over the Middle East and Lebanon in particular is famous for their version. A Lebanese chef I used to work with made his with whole leaves (i.e. not minced), and he told me that this was the primary difference between the Lebanese version and the Egyptian version. I've seen crisp pita squares served on Molokhia before and I think this is more a preference thing than a regional difference. As for the spices, they often use a blend called seven spice but it usually includes coriander, cinnamon and cardamom.
John A . says
I used the frozen Molokhia but it was very watery and turned grey. The fresh is only available here in Sydney Australia in summer so can’t wait to try it then. It did taste really good and I served it with Lebanese pilaf rice with toasted pine nuts. It also reminds me of the Russian sorrel soup. Will keep perfecting this a go to version of this dish.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi John, unfortunately the frozen kind does tend to be a little more watery, but I'm glad you enjoyed the taste. Thanks for stopping by to let me know how it went!
klebefolie says
That was delicious! I just made it. My husband and I both loved it. Thanks for the recipe!
Marc Matsumoto says
I'm so glad to hear you both enjoyed it! Thanks so much for stopping by to let me know😁
Umm Ayah says
I've been making molokhia for years, learned how to make it during my time in Egypt. Now I am residing in the States, I simply buy the frozen molokhia from the nearest Halal store. It's my picky daughters favorite surprisingly. I've been rather sick of the same method I've been using these past 6 years so I tried this recipe...some similarities but wow...what a difference...I am in love. It turned out delicious!!!!!!! Putting the garlic rub on the chicken!!! The cinnamon stick and cardamom!! It made all the difference for me....my husband loved the change as well my daughter however.....not so crazy over it, she's picky. I'm hoping to win her over because I want to cook this recipe again..I think a good compromise would be to omit the cinnamon stick, it may have overpowered and sweetened it too much for her......one thing that should be added though is the toasted vermicelli to the rice!!!! Makes it Egyptian and delicious....must be mandatory to eat molokhia with Egyptian rice&vermicelli!!!!!!!!!
Sue says
You can also add minced garlic if you are a fan of garlic, you basically add butter to the garlic and stir after you add salt and black ground pepper to it until the garlic turns yellow or light brown then toss it in the molokhia after you boil it on the top of the stove with either broth or plain water. It tastes very delicious
FD says
I really hope mukhlia doesn't ever gain "superfood" status. It's bad enough watching when Westerners discover the health benefits of, say, quinoa, and the people who have been eating quinoa in their diet for generations are priced out as Western demands increase. Or how brisket used to be the cheapest cut of beef and is therefore the cut used in lots of delicious Jewish and Central American recipes, only to see the price shoot up beyond leaner cuts as demand for it increased.
Plus it's unintentionally hilarious when I see bastardized recipes for hummus everything (hummus is Arabic for the chickpea plant) including hummus made with peanut butter, black bean hummus that contains no actual hummus, and the stuff in the plastic tubs. The last thing I want is to have food I grew up eating become "trendy." I hate getting lectured on my own culture by some hipster who went to google university.
Brenda says
Hi FD & Telena Helotova. I'm a westerner (Canada) who travelled in Africa (many countries north of the latitude of Southern Tanzania) for 6 months back in 1975. I was introduced to many wonderful foods, all of which I tried no matter how unusual or "glob-like" they looked! I was raised to always eat a teaspoon of everything on my plate no matter if I disliked it. To this day I cannot stand to eat Hubbard squash!
I had the pleasure of eating Arabic foods, one of which was molokhia. It was very green and a bit slimy but when mixed with the rice, it was delicious. I'm glad I tried the first teaspoon of this food rather than discreetly tip it onto the floor!
I also had the pleasure of eating lamb tangine twice, once made with couscous and again with quinoa.
I lived in Vancouver as a child but I never grew up with international foods. I did grow up eating brisket, hamburger, beef heart, kidneys, liver, tongue & chicken legs & wings - all of which were the cheapest cuts of meat. We drove to where we could catch our own fish & dig for clams, oysters & crabs.
I agree with FD about watching over the years as foods all of a sudden became popular by marketing. I remember going to the market in Toronto on a Saturday near closing to buy a 5-lb bag of chicken wings for $2.50. A few years later chicken wings became a hot item in the pubs & bars as a snack food as well as a contest item to see who could eat the spiciest, hot wings. Now -a-days chicken wings are too expensive for the amount of meat bought.
What I am glad about is that because we are such a globally mixed world, I've been able to buy foods that I tried when I was travelling 45 years ago. People who emigrate to the west are able to buy foods that they grew up on in their birth country. Westerners have been introduced to foods that are much healthier even if marketing has put a spin on it. Yes some of the marketing has changed some foods to a point of being unrecognizable. I much prefer eating a combination of plain hummus with tahini & lemon as the flavour is much better.
One unfortunate aspect of the global spread of foods is the introduction of western fast foods with high fat content throughout the rest of the world. This has only served to reduce the consumption of healthy foods & increase the consumption of a higher, unhealthy fat diet. The problem of western obesity is now being seen in other countries.
I choose to believe that the sharing of healthy cultural foods will make our Western diets much better.
The internet is the best source for learning about other cultural foods, especially Arabic foods, and to locate where the foods can be purchased.
During this global pandemic & voluntary physical/social isolation, take some time to browse the internet to find new foods & recipes to try for dinner. It's a lot of fun!
Keep safe & keep healthy.
Brenda
Alex P. says
This is funny but true. westerners think they know it all just from Google. "I hate getting lectured on my own culture by some hipster who went to google university." Worst they skyrocket the price to prove a point it now discover by one their Columbus.
Rozanna says
Where in Johannesburg South Africa can one find frozen molokhia ?
Rosalynn Normandia says
You can find it frozen in any Arabic or Mediterranean grocery stores.
Rosalynn Normandia says
I ate this first time last week. My sister nlaw cooked it for me, she's Jordanian by the way. You squeeze lemon on it right before you eat it and it taste so good. I used to eat it as a child in Philippines cooked as a vegetable soup but mixed in with other veggies with fish or sometimes just veggies. It's one of my favorite, I love veggies greens and all. And I just cooked this for supper last night and my daughter liked it, it was her first time. By the way, you can find Molokhia frozen or dried in any Arabic or Mediterranean grocery stores or fresh on any Oriental or Asian grocery stores.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Sylvia, without knowing where you live I can't really say, but you might find it in a middle eastern, indian or asian grocery store.
sylvia says
Hi Can you please let me know where Can I buy frozen melokhia. I managed to get the dried but I found it has too many stalks.Thank you in advance SYLVIA
Harry says
The dried version unfortunately has too many stalks. It's hard to find and my wife would get the dried version. It was never like the freish and I'd spend hours picking out stalks.
Harry says
Wow... nor prickly pear.. Maybe your palette isnt tuned to delicate flavours, but Im drooling over the though of Molokhia right now!
kellyKornell says
sometime much be wrong with you, or maybe the one who made it did not do a good job . I make this my self homemade and its great. matter of fact just had it yesterday.
Stephen says
My mum always made it with dried leaves, she said it tasted better and much easier to break into small bits. Personally i hated as a child, but am willing to revisit. That said never met anyone apart from myself that didn't like it.
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Pali, thanks for the idea, I've never tried it with tomato, but I've been adding lemon lately to cut the viscosity, it must be the acidity that does it.
pali says
you can add a cut up tomato it will change consistency of Molokhai so it will not be slimy. it turns more like a soup. Palestinian way
Foodie says
I grew up eating it one of my favorite foods! I will have to go to an Asian market to find some fresh leaves.
costas18 says
The Royal Dish of the Middle East. Bil hana ouel shefa...
Marc Matsumoto says
Hi Lebanese, personally I prefer the Levantine style of molokhia as well without the leaves being chopped. If you live near LA or San Jose CA, you should be able to find it fresh sold as "moroheiya" at Japanese grocery stores such as Mitsuwa.
Lebanese says
i live in CA and never saw it at farmers market.. Do they call it "Moroheiya" ? I buy it frozen from the middle eastern stores.. but I only find it minced, I prefer to cook the fresh one and not so thinly minced..
BlissBunny says
Hello there! I made this dish according to the recipe posted here. Molokhia is sold at our farmers market, and we are very curious to try new greens and vegetables. This worked out very well for us! Thank you for a great recipe.
April Ibrahim says
I eat this for the first time in Egypt with my husband on our honeymoon
this pass November. I loved it. I'm from the states but my hubby is from
Egypt and it was so Delicious. I'll have to try this recipe for my hubby. I hope it will be as good as his was. =)
April Ibrahim says
I eat this for the first time in Egypt with my husband on our honeymoon this pass November. I loved it. I'm from the states but my hubby is from Egypt and it was so Delicious.
LeadBelly says
I ate this for the 1st with an Egyptian friend in the Middle East. She insisted. I was not impressed although I am considered an adventurous eater. It was as you mentioned the mouth feel---slimy and the look--gooey with a non-descript bland taste not worth the trouble. Therefore It will probably not appear on my dinner table even with all its high nutritional value. Nor will Nopal --Prickly Pear Cactus--same-- same but give me okra--yum---yum!
Kay says
Moroheiya is very common in Japan. My mom used to make soup with it or just boil and serve with katsuobushi ( bonito flake) and soysause. I was so happy when I found moroheiya at the local farmers market in CA but my American family was not excited about the dish...
Jessen says
I grew up eating Molokhia, sometimes made with lamb instead of chicken. We use Barahat spice and usually add lemon juice- lots of lemon! I like you're idea on plating it.
Sig Au says
My mum's friend used to live in Egypt and I remember having this as a child, I looked for recipes previously but never had much success! Thank you 🙂 I will have to hunt for some fresh molokhia and try and make this.
Rachel says
My husband is from Egypt and we usually buy it at a middle eastern market in the freezer