One of the dishes that is ALWAYS on our dinner table when we visit Egypt is mulukhiyah with roz. We're not talking about the frozen version. We're talking about the fresh version that's made from fresh mulukhiyah plant leaves.
Ok, I'll be honest. It's really hard to find fresh mulukhiyah in the U.S., and that's why it's difficult to make mulukhiyah with roz from scratch. You can find frozen minced mulukhiyah in most Middle Eastern grocery stores, which is what I've gotten in the habit doing. Until now that we live in Abu Dhabi- molokhia is everywhere!
Now, I previously made a post on how to make Egyptian molokhia with roasted chicken, and it goes into detail about making molokhia with roasted chicken using frozen molokhia.
This post goes into detail on how to make mulukhiyah with roz from fresh molokhia leaves using a food processor. Also, I've taken a short cut with the rice by making it with my Instant Pot.
So what is Mulukhiyah in English?
Mulukhiyah is also known as jute in English. It's served as a thick soup with rice (called "roz" in Arabic) and it's usually served with chicken or rabbit. Mulukhiyah with roz is a very common dish prepared at home across several different Arab countries. The Lebanese make molokhia slightly different from the Egyptians, as well as Palestinians.
You will see mulukhiyah spelled a lot of different ways around the web (and maybe this site as well), but it all means the same. Mulukhiyah, molokhia, mulukhia, mulukhiya, jute, and jew's mallow are all different words describing the same thing.
If you've never had mulukhiyah with roz before, it's quite the experience! Mulukhiyah is slimy and green, definitely not the most beautiful of dishes. However, it's absolutely delicious and a favorite dish amongst kids.
Ingredients for Egyptian Mulukhiyah with Roz
- Mulukhiyah: If you only have access to frozen molokhia only, follow the Egyptian molokhia recipe with roasted chicken. Fresh mulukhiyah looks like below before we take off the leaves.
- Chicken broth: I make my chicken broth fresh usually. My second best option is using frozen chicken broth (that I made from a previous meal). My last option is using a box of chicken broth.
- Garlic: I use about 1 whole head of garlic or about 14-16 garlic cloves. Make sure to use fresh garlic.
- Rice: I use Egyptian rice which is also known as Calrose rice, however any type of short to medium grain rice will work.
- Oil: The garlic will get fried in this recipe. I prefer butter or olive oil, but the choice is up to you.
- Seasonings: This recipe calls for ground cumin, ground coriander, salt, and pepper.
Tips for Making Mulukhiyah with Roz
- Homemade chicken broth: If you need to save some time, you can use pre-made chicken broth from a box however it will not taste as good as making homemade chicken broth. This Egyptian molokhia recipe with roasted chicken explains how to make homemade chicken broth. Also, you can substitute frozen chicken broth for fresh chicken broth if you have some on hand. The broth is the foundation of this recipe, so good broth equals good molokhia.
- Fresh mulukhiyah: Fresh mulukhiyah tastes better than frozen minced mulukhiyah!
- Thoroughly wash molokhia. Remove the leaves individually from the plant and then wash in a bowl of water. Drain and repeat once more.
- Mince mulukhiyah in a food processor: Traditionally, fresh mulukhiya is minced using a rocking knife. It takes more time than using a food processor. I do not recommend using a blender.
- Rice cooker or Instant Pot rice cook function: This is the best thing in the world! I don't know if it's a family curse, but I always struggle with making rice that doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Most of the time I'm cooking other things, so I will forget to check on it or not turn it down fast enough. Problem solved if using a rice cooker. I have the Instant Pot and it has a rice cook function. It's kind of nice to just set it and forget it. I highly recommend trying it if you have one!
Is Mulukhiya Spinach?
Mulukhiya is not spinach, however it is called Egyptian spinach or Jew's mallow.
What Does Mulukhiya Taste Like?
Mulukhiya kind of reminds me of a mix between Swiss chard and spinach. When making it into a soup, it's flavor can change drastically based on the other ingredients you add to it.
Why is Molokhia Slimy?
Molokhia is mucilaginous having a viscous and gelatinous property. It's similar to the slimy feeling many people have when eating okra.
Other Authentic Egyptian Recipes To Try
- Hawawshi recipe
- Mahshi Crumb
- Renga
- Koshari
- Egyptian Molokhia Recipe with Roasted Chicken (this is the same recipe but with frozen molokhia)
- Baked Ta'ameya
Egyptian Mulukhiyah with Roz From Scratch
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Diet: Vegetarian
Description
This authentic Egyptian mulukhiyah with roz from scratch is a popular home cooked meal in Egypt. If you have access to fresh mulukhiyah, try this recipe.
Ingredients
- 1-2 bunches of fresh mulukhiyah (about 14 ounces or 400 grams of minced mulukhiyah leaves) **see notes
- 3 to 5 cups of chicken broth (for the mulukhiyah) ** see notes
- 3 cups of chicken broth (for the Instant Pot rice)
- 3 cups of dry Calrose rice
- 10 fresh garlic cloves
- 4 tbsp of butter or ghee
- ½ tbsp of ground cumin
- ½ tbsp of ground coriander
- Pinch of sugar (optional)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Cook Rice
- Add 3 cups of rice and 3 cups of chicken broth to the rice cooker or Instant Pot.
- Add salt to taste and about 2 tbsp of butter.
- Cook with the rice cooker or Instant Pot rice cook function.
Mulukhiya
- Remove the leaves from the mulukhiya plant.
- Add the leaves to a large bowl of water and wash thoroughly.
- Drain the molokhiya leaves and dab them with a towel to dry fully.
- In a food processor, add the leaves of the mulukhiyah and blend on high until they are finely minced.
- Chop the garlic very finely.
- In a large pot, add the fresh mulukhiya, ¼ of the fresh garlic (about 1 tbsp), a pinch of sugar, and 3 cups of the chicken broth. Bring it to a rolling boil while stirring continuously. Check the consistency of the mulukhiyah, possibly adding 1 to 2 more cups of chicken broth. **see notes
- Once the mulukhiyah starts to boil, begin to fry the garlic. Continue to monitor the mulukhiyah as it boils because it can rise up in size.
- In a nonstick skillet, add 2 tbsp of butter or ghee. Once butter is melted, add the remaining finely minced garlic.
- Fry the garlic in the butter until it's a dark golden brown.
- Add the ground cumin, ground coriander, and a pinch of salt to the garlic.
- Add the roasted garlic to the molokhia. Pour some of the mulukhiyah back in the pan to get all of the fried garlic pieces.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve with rice.
Notes
- Once the leaves have been removed from the mulukhiyah plant, this is the weight measured for this recipe.
- You can cook the rice on the stovetop. For steps to cook rice on the stovetop, follow the steps in this post.
- Depending on the molokhia itself, it may need more or less broth to achieve the consistency desired. The amount of broth to minced mulukhiyah varies greatly, so start with less broth and adjust.
- I was told that a pinch of sugar helps keep the fresh mulukhiyah bright green.
- Category: Soup
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Egyptian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 cups
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 61 mg
- Fat: 9 g
- Saturated Fat: 1 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 6 g
- Protein: 13 g
- Cholesterol: 18 mg
Keywords: mulukhiyah, molokhia with roz, mulokheya, mulookhiya, calrose rice
Jess says
I love being able to make new recipes from different cultures for my family. This recipe is perfect! Thanks for sharing!
Samantha says
this is such a great recipe
Amnah says
I didn't know what fresh mulukhiyah looked like until this post because I've always used the frozen mulukhiyah.