Green Herb Soup – African Recipes

Recipe ingredients and directions:

Milookhiyya (Egyptian Green Herb Soup)

Yield: 6 servings

1 quart chicken stock, fresh or canned

1 cup dried milookhiyya, spinach-like Egyptian herb, picked clean and crumbled

1 Tablespoon tomato paste

1 teaspoon salt

black pepper, freshly ground

2 teaspoons garlic, finely chopped

2 teaspoons Ground coriander

2 Tablespoons butter

In a heavy 3 to 4 quart saucepan, bring stock to a boil over high

heat. Stir in the milookhiyya, tomato paste, salt and a few grindings

of the pepper and reduce the heat to low. Stirring occasionally,

simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the milookhiyya has dissolved

and the soup is thick and smooth.

With a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon, mash the garlic

and coriander to a smooth paste. In a small skillet, melt the

butter over moderate heat. When the foam has almost subsided, add

the garlic and coriander and, stirring constantly, cook for a minute

or two until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the entire contents

of the skillet to the soup and, stirring constantly, simmer for 2

or 3 minutes more.

Taste for seasoning and serve at once from a heated tureen. In

Egypt, milookhiyya is often accompanied by hot cooked rice and

sliced boiled chicken or game birds, presented separately on

individual plates.

Category: African Recipes