Ramadan Idea: Palestinian Mlokhiyeh (Jute Mallow Stew)

This traditional Palestinian dish is a favourite of my families and very nutritious to have during the holy month of Ramadan to break fast with. It’s easy to put together and the soup portion can be made ahead of time.

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Step 1

Make the chicken first as it needs a long time to cook. Preheat oven to 350 F. Prepare a dutch oven (or an oven safe dish with a lid) and line it with parchment. Place your cleaned chicken over the parchment. In a bowl, mix lemon juice, Arabic 7 spice, paprika, granulated garlic, granulated onion, black pepper, salt, tomato paste, neutral oil, and olive oil. It should turn into a thick paste. Smear the paste all over the chicken, under the skin, and inside the cavity. Place the leftover lemon peels inside the chicken. Place the chicken breast side down and close the lid. Roast for 1 hr 15 mins. Remove lid and continue roasting to crisp the skin for another 10 minutes.

Step 2

While chicken is roasting, work on the Mlokhiyeh. In a large pot with water, add the packs of frozen minced mlokhiyeh, along with the dried (if using). Melt it down for 5-10 minutes on medium high heat. Remove any white foam that rises to the top and discard. This will allow for less slimy soup. Lower heat to medium low. Add allspice, cardamom, black pepper, bouillon paste and salt. Mix through.

Step 3

Using a hand blender, puree tomatoes. Using a fine sieve, push through the tomato juices on top of the soup. Discard the leftover pulp. Mix through.

Step 4

In a small frying pan, fry minced garlic with oil until just golden brown. Traditionally, you dunk the entire frying pan in the soup, swirl it around, to get all the garlic goodness. Taste test at this point for any seasonings (extra salt, pepper, etc). Mlokhiyeh is now ready.

Step 5

Serve with the roast chicken, plain white rice, and lots of fresh lemon juice all over.