WARNING:

People in Egypt take their Muluheyya very seriously.  Do not ask a Cairene to enjoy the Alexandria variation (tomato chunks added) or vice versa.  Also, do not challenge your host or hostess if you find their muluheyya too "mucilaginous" (a polite word for slimy), which leads us to the second warning.

WARNING: 

Many in Egypt want their muluheyya slimy  - think okra - and consider those who make it otherwise as less than authentic Egyptians.  As a foreigner, you may not appreciate the slippery variety, which is likely to give the locals pleasure.  First in watching you squirm; second because they can eat what you leave.

What is it?

Alright, it may not look wonderful, but it's chockful of vitamins and minerals.  Basic ingredient: a dark leafy green vegetable which you buy at the street market (or supermarket) in an enormous bouquet. Add it to chicken broth and you've got a very nutritious meal.

More precisely,

At home, you drop the leaves in a sink ful of water and wash thoroughly, then begin the onerous task of cutting away the heavy steams and veins.  After that's done, you begin chopping the leaves into 1/2" pieces, using a curved knife and cutting bowl or board.

In the meantime, of course, you've boiled up a chicken and have a pot of broth and, after disassemblage, some chunks of chicken.

Now you're ready to make the muluheyya.

Chop up an onion and lots of garlic (the more the better; sometimes it takes like garlic soup) and cook them over low heat in a generous portion of olive until translucent.  Add a teaspoon of cumin (no matter what you cook, add cumin) and a little salt.  Cook a few minutes more. Then stir in the chicken chunks and broth and bring almost to a boil. 

Now comes the sensitive part.

If you want your mulukeyya slimeless, stir in the leaves barely long enough for them to wilt, put a lid on the pot and remove from heat.  If you wan it mucilaginous, stir the pot for a while.

Serving

Serve in a bowl, with some extra chunks of chicken on the top if you like, and some rice alongside.  Once again, we enter touchy territory.  Some put spoonfuls of muluhayya on the rice; others put the rice into the bowl of muluheyya. But if you've gotten this far, they'll probably let you do it whichever way you want.

For more food: ful, kushary, baladi bread.

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