Dirty Kitchen Secrets

As I begin writing this, the aromas of mloukhieh, cardamom, corriander, and garlic infuse the air, sending my stomach in mad rages. Mloukhieh, the Egyptian national dish, is extremely popular in Lebanon and is one of my favorite dishes. Mloukhieh leaves are a type of edible green similiar to spinach and in the English language are called Jew’s mallow. The plant is said to be rich in antioxidants.

Mloukhieh leaves can be found at any Middle Eastern grocer and most likely in frozen form. Although, fresh leaves were used in the following recipe, using frozen is fine as well.

Whilst in Dubai, I met up with Bishnu, an incredible private chef and he was nice enough to share his secrets on making the perfect mloukhieh:

Prep: 30 minutes

Cook: 60 minutes

Serves: 6 very hungry people

Cast of characters

For the mloukhieh

2kg Jew’s Mallow, fresh or frozen, chopped. If using frozen, thaw first

1/2kg corriander, finely chopped

4 large shallots, finely diced

9 cloves of garlic, pounded (add a bit of salt before pounding)

1 teaspoon sweet pepper

Salt to taste

olive oil

For the cardamom-infused chicken

1kg chicken breast, halfed

6 whole cardamom seeds

1 cinnamon stick

2 bay leafs

1 oinion, halved

1 garlic clove, smashed

1 whole nutmeg

salt and pepper to taste

cover with water- about 1 liter

For the vinegar dressing

1 red onion, finely diced

Apple vinegar-enough to cover

For the crispy bread

2 loafs of arabic bread, unseperated

For the rice

Use basmati rice and cook according to instructions on package

The Nitty Gritty:

We are going to use the broth from the chicken and add it to the mloukhieh. It’s important that the broth is made in advance and ready for when we start to make the mloukhieh. So, in a deep pot, add chicken and all the spices, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce flame and let cook for 40 minutes or till the chicken is cooked.

While the chicken is cooking, you can prep the ingredients for the mloukhieh. Also, prep the onion vinaigrette. Also, cook rice according to the package instructions.

In a deep, thick bottomed pot, add some olive oil, about 2-3 tablespoons worth. Once the olive oil is hot add the diced onions

Cook the shallots for 2-3 minutes or till soft and translucent

Add the pounded garlic

Cook for a minute or so, then add the corriander and stir well

Strain in the chicken broth

next add the sweet pepper and stir. Add salt to taste

Add the chopped mloukhieh (Jew’s Mallow) leaves

Stir well and cover. Cook for 10 minutes on medium-low heat and do not let it come to a boil. It’s important not to let it boil, since it can coagulate, making it indedible. Mloukhiyeh has natural thickening agents, so don’t worry if it looks too runny in the begining.

While the mloukhieh is cooking, we can make the arabic bread crumbs

Dish out into seperate serving bowls

On a bed of rice, layer the mloukhieh, then the chicken, add some bread crumbs and drizzle with the onion vinaigrette

Sahtein!

Bethx