Tasty Adventures

Passport & Plate - Rabbit Mulukhia

Egypt | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 3 photos

Ingredients
1 packet of finely chopped mulukhia leaves
1 whole rabbit
Several cups of water to cover the rabbit while cooking on the stove
2 yellow onions, chopped
15 garlic cloves, minced
1 tbsp of ghee
1 tbsp ground coriander
1 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
4-6 bay leaves, broken into pieces
4-5 cardamom pods, crushed to release flavor
1 tsp mastic
1/2 bouillon cube
Himalayan or other unrefined salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 

How to prepare this recipe
Make the base broth (which will be used to make the mulukhia stew): Rinse the rabbit under running water, rub with salt, rinse well, and place in a deep pot. Add water to cover half the rabbit and set on medium heat. Do this about 5 minutes, until all the white 'goop' is removed from the rabbit. Remove the water, rinse the pan, then this time add water to cover all the rabbit and set on high heat. Add onion, bay leaves, cardamom pods, mastic, bouillon cube, salt and pepper to the boiling chicken. Lower to medium heat and cook for 45-75 minutes -depending on the toughness of the meat- until rabbit is fully cooked and has reached an internal temperature of 165 F.

Make the garlic-coriander mixture: Using a mortar and pestle, crush 15 cloves of garlic. In a separate pot, melt the ghee and add the crushed garlic. Add 1 tbsp of ground coriander and a the lemon juice by drop to the garlic. Sauté the mixture for 2 minutes or until a medium golden deliciousness level of browned.

Mix it all together: Add 8-10 cups of the freshly made rabbit broth to the garlic-coriander mixture. Simmer for 2 minutes. Add the molokhia to the soup, stirring continuously. Boil only for 3-5 minutes until the molokhia is well mixed and then boil for a few additional seconds. Make sure not to overcook or keep boiling as molokhia needs to be suspended (overcooking makes the leaves fall to the bottom).

Eat the stew: add rice (basmati normally) to the molokhia, put the molokhia on top of rice, or be free -this is your decision- and add crushed pieces of toasted pita bread. Others, like my grandma, would add the roasted rabbit, cut up into pieces into the molokhia. I personally enjoy the roasted rabbit on the side, to better savor the flavors individually. But of course, there is no absolute rule about how to eat molokhyia – it is a matter of preference and tradition! In any case, the only rule is to savor every bite and to eat it while hot, because the flavor of molokhia is unparalleled.

 

The story behind this recipe
The garlic slides into the ghee, crackling, I swing coriander on top of the mix. The aroma thickens and I begin to drift into fond memories that have past. My grandaunt teaching me how to cook, yelling across the apartment in Egypt; my brother spilling an entire pot of molokhia on the kitchen floor we gloriously tired over all day for a feast -a memory we laugh about to this day whenever we visit our grandaunt in Egypt; the laughter we've all shared as a family gathered together sharing stories of all the wonderful sparkling moments of our lives; I drift and a pleasant, jazzy joy fills the aroma. As I continue to mix and envision -smiling like a little boy at the dinner table- the aroma crispens and I immediately toss the rabbit broth into the mix and become giddy. The flavors beyond the smells and into my mouth are so close I can taste it!

Sitting down together as I serve the meal to friends invited, I tell them the story. My grandaunt and my mother used to cook this dish to us every time we saw them. Growing up we made this about as much as we ate pasta. It's bonded my mother and I, my grandaunt and I, and so many other relatives. I leap out of my chair excited as I remember the stories of friends who gawked and the green goop in their plate as my mother whole-heartedly assures them it is scrumptious and good for their tummies. The heads we've turned in potlucks and the many different ways we make it. Rabbit is only used on special occasions. So with our favorite guests to share jovial stories and spread laughter, tonight is a night to remember.

No dish reminds me of home, of my family back in Egypt more than this delicatessen. Rarely do I meet a soul who has heard of this beauty. It's one of those gems you can't wait to share and love to see others' reactions. I chuckle recalling all the surprised faces we've made sharing our joy. That's what this dish has taught me, and that's what I cherish. Sharing laughter and warming hearts.