Royal Molokhia with Rabbit & Garlic-Coriander Tasha

Ingredients

For the broth & meat

• 2–2.5 lb rabbit, cut into 6–8 pieces (or bone-in chicken thighs/drumsticks)

• 1 large onion, quartered

• 2 bay leaves

• 6 whole cardamom pods, lightly crushed

• 1 cinnamon stick

• 8 whole peppercorns

• 1 tsp kosher salt, plus more to taste

• 8 cups water (enough to cover by ~1 inch in a 6-qt pot)

For the molokhia

• 1 lb frozen finely chopped molokhia (jute leaves), thawed (or 10 oz dried—see note)

• 2 cups strained cooking broth from above

• 2 cups additional hot broth or water, as needed

• 1 small tomato, grated (or 1/2 cup strained tomato purée)

• 1 small green chile (serrano or jalapeño), slit (optional)

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/4 tsp ground coriander

• Salt & black pepper to taste

For the tasha (garlic-coriander sizzle)

• 6 cloves garlic, very finely minced (or crushed to a paste)

• 1 Tbsp ground coriander

• 3 Tbsp ghee (or clarified butter)

• Pinch of salt

To serve

• Cooked Egyptian rice or vermicelli rice

• Lemon wedges

• Toasted pita shards (optional)

Equipment

• 6-quart Nutri-Stahl (perfect volume for broth + greens without boiling over)

• Fine strainer or skimmer

• Ladle

Directions

1) Make a perfumed broth (Nutri-Stahl, medium heat)

1. Add rabbit, onion, bay, cardamom, cinnamon, peppercorns, salt, and water to the pot.

2. Bring to a gentle boil, then immediately reduce to a bare simmer. Skim foam for the first 10 minutes for a clear broth.

3. Partially cover and simmer until tender—rabbit 45–55 min (chicken ~35–45 min).

4. Lift meat out; keep warm. Strain broth. You’ll use ~2–4 cups for molokhia and the rest for serving or storing.

2) Build the molokhia base (same pot)

1. Return 2 cups strained broth to the pot with the grated tomato, cumin, ground coriander, chile (if using), a pinch of salt, and pepper. Bring to a simmer.

2. Whisk in the thawed finely chopped molokhia. Keep heat low—molokhia should tremble rather than boil. If it seems too thick, whisk in up to 2 cups hot broth/water until it’s a glossy, spoon-coating soup.

3. Simmer gently 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Do not boil hard (it can turn slimy).

3) Make the tasha (the signature sizzle)

1. In a small pan, melt ghee over medium. Add garlic and a pinch of salt; cook 30–60 seconds until just golden at the edges (don’t brown).

2. Stir in ground coriander; sizzle 15 seconds.

3. Immediately pour the tasha into the molokhia and stir. The kitchen will smell incredible.

4) Finish & serve

• Return the warm rabbit pieces to the pot for 2–3 minutes to heat through, or serve them on rice with the molokhia ladled alongside.

• Taste and adjust salt/pepper. Serve with Egyptian rice, lemon wedges, and toasted pita.