Mulukhiyah
The following guest blog post was written by no other than the hubs, Auddie, (or All Day, Auddie -if you recall). I think he did a pretty good job – maybe even good enough to quit his day job?? Just kidding! This recipe is delish though!
-Tina
Well, I never thought I would be blogging during my fellowship year of training in Philadelphia. Clinical duties have come to a screeching halt because of, yup you guessed it, COVID-19. The silver lining…more quality time at home as proven not only by being able to cook a dish that is being featured on Three Teas Kitchen but also by blogging this week and giving the three T’s this week off.
What is mulukhiyah? I found the answer to this question many years ago, as a child, on a cold rainy day, in a village far far away…jk jk. My wife’s humor is rubbing off on me. Back to business, it’s a stew centered around the mulukhiyah leaf. This almighty leaf not only tastes delicious but also is full of 30+ vitamins. Usually, mulukhiyah is prepared with chicken, doused with lemon, and served over a bed of rice.
Listen! It’s my favorite Middle Eastern dish. That’s all there is to it. If you don’t want to take my word for it, then listen to the additional testimonials of my four siblings, each of us having a very different palate, yet all equally diehard fans of mulukhiyah. The recipe is easy to follow, and as the ol’ Three Teas adage goes, #ilearneditfrommymama, who you may recognize from Madjedah’s Hummus, Potato Kibbeh, or Kufta.
During your next essential grocery store run, put on that personal protective equipment and pick up the ingredients you need to make mulukhiyah.
Mulukhiyah
Ingredients
- 28 oz mulukhiyah, fresh or frozen*
- 1 pound chicken breast, cut into 2 x 2" cubes**
- 1 garlic, cloves pealed and kept whole
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- salt, to taste
- 1 medium tomato, sliced into rounds
- 1 Maggie bouillon, chicken flavored
- water, amount varies, see instructions below
- 1 large yellow onion, cut in half
- 1 lemon, plus more for serving
- white rice, prepared to your liking or package instructions
Instructions
- Prepare the mulukhiyah leaves. If using frozen leaves, thaw out prior to starting the recipe. If using dried mulukhiyah, no additional prep is needed.
- Squeeze lemon on chicken cubes and gently mix. Then rinse chicken with cold water.
- Place chicken and both onion halves into a large pot. Fill pot with enough cold water to cover 2 inches above the chicken.
- Turn heat on high and allow water to come to boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium and cover the pot. Simmer until the chicken is fully cooked, about 20 minutes
- While the chicken is cooking, heat up a small sauce pan on medium/high heat. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once oil is glistening add whole garlic cloves. Cook cloves until just browned on all sides. Set aside.
- Once chicken has finished cooking, remove foam from the top of the cooking liquid.
- Keeping the liquid in the pot, ladle out the chicken and onions from the pot. The liquid will be the broth base for the mulukhiya. Place chicken to the side for later. Discard onions (onions were used to just flavor the chicken and broth).
- Add a Maggi cube to the cooking liquid, and bring to a boil. Stirring occasionally until dissolved.
- Mix in mulukhiyah. Reduce heat to medium and allow to cook for about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat water on the stove or in an electric kettle. This will be used as need to thin out the stew.
- After the mulukhiyah has cooked for 15 minutes, taste the stew. If the stew is too thick, add in a cup or more of hot water. Season with salt to tase.
- Next add tomato, garlic cloves, chicken and garlic powder. Simmer on medium until leaves are softened to your liking and tomato is slightly broken down. Adjust salt to taste.
- This dish is best enjoyed by ladling the mulukhiyah over rice in a bowl. The family favorite is a 1:4 rice to mulukhiyah ratio. Squeeze about half a lemon over each person's plate of mulukhiyah and enjoy!
Notes
My favorite dish!
Thanks for the recipe ! Can’t wait to make!