Lebanese Molokhai with Rice & Chicken

Lebanese Molokhai with Rice & Chicken

Hands-on time: 15 minutes
Total cooking time: 30 minutes (includes time to cook rice)

Serves 4

Ingredients:
Rice (1 cup rice – I like Basmati, 6 cups water for open pot cooking) makes 3 cups cooked rice
Cooked chicken, cut into chunks or shredded ( 1 cup per person – I used the meat from 2 chicken breasts)

Molokhia: you can substitute spinach but it won’t have quite the same flavor
2 cups chicken broth
1 pkg (14oz/400g) frozen minced molokhia
1 tbsp butter
5-6 large cloves garlic, minced
1 tbsp Lebanese 7 Spices mix – allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, ginger, clove & nutmeg (or the package of molokhai suggests ground coriander)

Directions:
1. In a medium sauce pan or pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the frozen molokhia (I actually used the microwave to at least soften it enough to cut the block into four) and stir from time to time until completely defrosted and incorporated into the soup.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook until fragrant (2 minutes or so).

3. Stir the garlic butter into the soup, add the seasonings and stir. Cook for another 2-3 minutes and remove from heat.

To serve:
One suggestion is to serve the soup with the rice and soup on the side. Another ( Tony at Gourmet Cash & Carry) is to serve on a platter with rice on the bottom, and soup and chicken over top.

It’s very mellow and has a distinct flavor. The texture of the molokhia is slightly slimy, so for the uninitiated, I suggest pouring some over the rice rather than eating separately. But experiment and have fun.