Molokhia (jute leaf stew) with chicken, dema tomato sauce and tasha
Middle Eats · ♥ 2.3K likes · 73K views · 12 min video
Read about whole bird in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 5–6 whole cardamom pods
- 4 cloves garlic
- 1 whole onion
Cut the tips off 5 to 6 cardamom pods so they infuse quicker; peel a whole head of garlic, crush four cloves and mince the rest; cut an onion into a few large pieces.
- 1 whole medium chicken
Break the chicken into two legs and two breasts by finding and cutting through each joint; remove the back; leave the wing on the breasts (airline). Remove the skin by hand so the stock is not fatty; keep the carcass, wings and tips for the stock.
Breaking down a whole chicken
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2–3 pieces mastic
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- 2 whole bay leaves
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pot over medium-high heat, add the mastic until it melts, then the peppercorns, bay leaves and cardamom; toast about 30 seconds until fragrant.
- 200 g chopped tomatoes
- room temperature water
Add the onion, crushed garlic and 200 g chopped tomatoes (acidity, and they stop it getting too viscous), then room-temperature water to submerge.
Bring to a boil on high heat, skim off the scum with a spoon, then simmer uncovered on medium-low about half an hour, until the chicken is fork tender.
- ½ tbsp butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- 200 g chopped tomatoes
- ½ cup water
For the dema, melt half a tablespoon of butter over medium heat, cook a teaspoon of minced garlic about 30 seconds without browning; add the other 200 g tomatoes blended with half a cup of water and bring to a boil.
- ¼ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
- ½ tsp salt
Add a quarter teaspoon black pepper and simmer 15 minutes; stir in half a teaspoon salt. It should be thick like a marinara.
- 2 tsp salt
Add 2 teaspoons salt to the stock; lift out the chicken and carcass with tongs and strain the stock through a sieve, about 2 litres.
- ½ tbsp butter
- 1 tsp minced garlic
- ½ tsp ground coriander
- 2½ cup stock
- 1 tbsp tomato sauce
In the rinsed pot over medium heat, melt half a tablespoon of butter, cook a teaspoon of minced garlic about 30 seconds, add half a teaspoon ground coriander, then 2.5 cups stock and a tablespoon of the dema; bring to a boil.
Cooking the molokhia
- 1 sachet molokhia
Squeeze in the frozen molokhia, turn down to medium-low and let it melt, mixing with a ladle into a single consistency; cook a few minutes, turn off and pour into a serving dish. Do not boil the stew or it can split.
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper
Melt a tablespoon of butter in a pan on high heat with plenty of salt and pepper; fry the chicken about a minute a side until browned and as crisp as wanted.
- 1 tbsp butter
- 2 tsp minced garlic
- 1½ tsp ground coriander
For the tasha, melt a tablespoon of butter in a small pot, add 2 teaspoons minced garlic and 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander and fry a few minutes until golden and bubbly; pour at once onto the molokhia so it sizzles.
Mix in the tasha and serve over rice with vermicelli, with the chicken and a few teaspoons of the dema.
Serving with rice, chicken and dema