North Cyprus Cousine - Main Dishes

Molohiya

A plant rather like spinach, cooked as a stew with chicken or lamb and plenty of tomatoes, garlic and lemon juice.

Ingredients

1 kg chicken, jointed or 1 kg lamb breast, cut into pieces
160 g molohiya -soaked overnight in cold water
150 g (2 medium) onions -skinned and chopped
4 garlic cloves -thickly sliced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
2 large ripe tomatoes -skinned and chopped
3 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of a lemon
Seasoning
900 ml chicken stock

Preparation

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the chicken pieces for about 15 minutes until golden brown on both sides. Remove the chicken joints and keep them on one side.

Add the chopped onion and the sliced garlic and fry until soft. Return the chicken joints to the pan. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste and the hot chicken stock. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, add pinch of sugar and stir gently for a minute.

After washing few times with cold water, drain the Molohiya well and add it to the pan. After adding juice of a lemon, stir well and bring to boil. Then cover the pan with the lid and simmer 1-2 hours, until the vegetables are well cooked.

References
Albrecht, M. (1994), Turkish Cypriot and Mediterranean Cookery, Havellia Publishing, London.
Salaman, R., (1991), The Cooking of Greece and Turkey, Sainsbury Cookbooks, London.