That Translator Can Cook: Molokhia
Minced jute mallow leaves in a savory broth served with meat and rice.
Every country has its own way of eating/preparing molokhia with regards to ingredients and methods of eating it. The way I learned to eat molokhia: you have your rice and chicken (we always ate molokhia with chicken) on your plate with a small bowl of the molokhia broth on the side. Then, you squeezed half of a lemon into the broth, and spooned as much or as little of the broth as you would like onto the chicken and rice a little bit at a time. Can anyone guess where I first ate molokhia? 😉
This dish dates back to ancient Egypt and some say that it was Jewish people who ate this dish first rather than the ancient Egyptians. Hence, why one of the plant’s common names is 'the Jew’s mallow.'
According to EgyptToday, ancient Egyptians didn’t eat molokhia because they thought the plant was toxic. It wasn’t until the rule of the Hyksos (c. 1650 BCE - 1550 BCE), when they realized the health benefits of molokhia. In modern times, we know some of these health benefits are: regulating blood pressure; increasing circulation; improving heart health, bone health, and sleeping habits; boosting the immune system; reducing inflammation; and helping growth and development.
Some also say that Caliph Al-Hakim Bi Amr Allah (a ninth-century ruler in Egypt) forbid people from eating molokhia because it was thought to be a sex stimulant.
Here’s how to make this dish, which has such an interesting history.
This recipe and its pictures belong to Umm Omar or Mother of Omar (أم عمر).
Ingredients
(for seven people)
1 kilo of jute mallow leaves, finely minced
1 chicken, cleaned and cut into pieces
4 cups of rice, soaked and washed
2 Maggi bouillon cubes
A little bit of vermicelli with the rice
2 heads of garlic
A little bit of olive oil
Salt to taste
Pepper
Tumeric
Steps
1.5 hours
First, crush half the garlic and put it in a pot. Then, cut the chicken into two pieces and lay it on top of the garlic. Pour a bit of oil on the chicken and garlic, then sear the chicken until it’s golden brown. Next, add water, bouillon, black pepper, turmeric, and salt; cover and bring to a boil. Let it simmer for a half an hour, then add the jute mallow leaves. Mix well and remove the foam from the surface of the molokhia broth.
After that, crush the other half of the garlic and sauté it with some oil in a frying pan for about two minutes, then pour it over the molokhia. Mix it and add a cup of cold water. Bon appetit!
As for the rice, fry the vermicelli with oil until it turns golden brown, then add the rice and salt and mix well. Next, add hot water and cover; lower the heat and let it sit until the rice becomes soft. Serve and bon appetit!
Translators’ Discussion:
As you probably noticed, I continue to use 'molokhia' instead of the English name “jute mallow.” In my opinion, jute mallow doesn’t sound any more appealing than molokhia. Plus, I had never even heard of jute mallow until I wanted to know what molokhia meant in English.
I came across a genericized trademark I had never heard of before: Maggi. The recipe actually said “two Maggi,” and I simply elaborated with “bouillon cubes” for those of us who aren’t familiar with the brand. Does anyone else know of any other food-related genericized trademarks?
We (my fellow Arabic translators and I) had some difficulty with قرعتان ثوم. In some sources (about dialects), قرعة means “jar” or "bald" (or a bald person’s head?). Two jars of garlic would be way too much garlic, so we settled on two heads of garlic. What do you all think about this?