Finely minced jute leaves cooked into a green, garlicky soup finished with a sizzling coriander-garlic ta’leya.

Where does Molokhia come from?

Molokhia is a Egyptian dish from Cairo, Egypt.

Can Molokhia be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?

Yes. This Molokhia recipe includes ingredient substitutions to make it vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, or egg-free — including several of those at once, such as gluten-free and dairy-free together.

How long does Molokhia take to make?

About 40 minutes total (15 minutes prep, 25 minutes cooking), serving 4.

Molokhia — a Cairo, Egypt recipe

Name: Molokhia
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Egyptian
Ingredients: 1 lb molokhia (frozen minced jute leaves, or fresh); 5 cups chicken or rabbit stock; 3 tbsp ghee (for the ta’leya); 8 cloves garlic, crushed; 1 tbsp ground coriander; 1 pinch each a pinch of cardamom + cayenne; 1 + for 4 lemon + rice or bread, to serve

Africa → 🇪🇬 Egypt → Cairo

Molokhia

Egyptian · easy · serves 4

prep 15 min · cook 25 min

~601 cal · 76g protein · 3g carbs · 28g fat (estimated, per serving)

🍽️

Green jute-leaf soup with rice and bread

🇪🇬 Cairo

Molokhia is ancient — pharaonic, some say — and beloved across Egypt for its unique silky texture. The defining moment is the ta’leya: garlic and coriander fried in ghee until fragrant, then poured hissing into the pot so the whole kitchen turns its head.

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Make it yours

Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.

🥕 Vegetarian

🌱 Vegan

🌾 Gluten-Free

🥛 Dairy-Free

🥜 Nut-Free

🥚 Egg-Free

Ingredients

Serves 4 —

•

1 lb molokhia (frozen minced jute leaves, or fresh)

•

5 cups chicken or rabbit stock

•

3 tbsp ghee (for the ta’leya)

•

8 cloves garlic, crushed

•

1 tbsp ground coriander

•

1 pinch each a pinch of cardamom + cayenne

•

1 + for 4 lemon + rice or bread, to serve

Instructions

1

Bring the stock to a gentle simmer with the cardamom.

2

Stir in the molokhia and cook 10–12 minutes on low — never a hard boil, which makes it separate. It should stay a thick, velvety green soup.

3

Make the ta’leya: fry the crushed garlic and coriander in ghee until deep golden and intensely fragrant (add a pinch of cayenne).

4

Pour the sizzling ta’leya into the pot — the hiss is the whole ritual — and stir through.

5

Serve over rice or with bread, with lemon to squeeze.

Cairo home tradition.

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🌏 While it simmers — know your destination

📍

Cairo. Street carts of the megacity, feeding millions for pennies.

🗺️

Egypt. Five thousand years of feeding people along one river.

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Africa. Fifty-four countries of tagines, stews, and fire-kissed grills.

The story behind this dish is up top — worth a read while the pot works.

👩‍🍳

Richard Moore & Kelsey Tucker

Recipes cooked, tested, and researched by the creators of Spin the Globe. How we build our recipes →