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Egyptian

Egyptian molokhia

Non-vegetarian

ملوخية · Molokheya

Finely minced jute mallow leaves simmered in chicken broth into a silky green soup, finished with a sizzling garlic and coriander ta'leya. Egypt's favourite home dish, served with rice or bread.

Egyptian molokhia is an Egyptian soup, ready in about 25 minutes and made with chicken stock, jute leaves and garlic. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Clay bowl of green Egyptian molokhia soup
Photo: Habib M'henni / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-3.0
Prep
10 min
Cook
15 min
Total
25 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
206

Ingredients

4 servings

For the ta'leya

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the stock to the boil, add the molokhia (opens in a new tab) and salt and stir. Let it come back just to a simmer, then lower the heat.

  2. Step 2

    Simmer very gently for 5 minutes without letting it boil hard, so the leaves stay suspended in the broth.

    • 5 min
    • low heat

  3. Step 3

    For the ta'leya, fry the garlic (opens in a new tab) in the ghee (opens in a new tab) until golden, add the coriander (and cayenne) and stir for 30 seconds.

  4. Step 4

    Pour the sizzling ta'leya into the molokhia (opens in a new tab), stir and serve at once with rice, lemon (opens in a new tab) and the poached chicken if you have it.

    • 1 min
    A finished dish being plated
    How it looks · Photo: Willians Huerta on Pexels

About this dish

Origin
Egypt · Commonly attributedMolokhia is eaten across the Arab world and North Africa; the minced, soupy version with ta'leya is the Egyptian style.Also popular in Lebanon, Syria, Palestine, TunisiaMore food from Egypt
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Soups · Main courses
Cooking method
Simmered, Sautéed
Taste
garlicky, savoury, herby, aromatic / warmly spiced
Diet
No gluten ingredients · No nut ingredients · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No gluten ingredients · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · High-protein · Low-fat
Without the optional extras: Whole-food focusedWith the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Dairy-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pot
Cook more with
Chicken stock · Jute leaves · Garlic · Ghee · Ground coriander
Techniques
Sautéing · Boiling · Simmering · Poaching

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom ghee
  • May contain: Celeryfrom chicken stock

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

206 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 392 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 23%
  • Carbohydrate 35%
  • Fat 42%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy206 kcal53 kcal
Protein12.8 g3.3 g
Carbohydrate19.2 g4.9 g
Net carbohydrate——
Sugars——
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre——
Fat10.2 g2.6 g
Saturated fat5 g1.3 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol25 mg6 mg
Sodium952 mg243 mg
Salt equivalent2.4 g0.6 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
1006 mg
Calcium
289 mg
Iron
6.8 mg
Magnesium
95 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
407 µg
Vitamin C
49 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
166 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: cayenne / chilli powder, lemon, long-grain white rice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Egyptian cooks traditionally gasp ('shahqa') as they add the ta'leya — said in jest to keep the molokhia from sinking.

Common mistakes

  • Boiling hard after adding the leaves makes them separate and sink to the bottom.

Serve with

  • Serve with rice, poached or roast chicken and pickles.

Storage

  • Keeps 2 days in the fridge.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently without boiling.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Built from the recipe’s own sections. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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