This is somewhere between a stew and a soup. A “stoup,” maybe. Comforting and hearty, certainly, served with some rice or crusty white bread.
Playing around: If you want to make this dish gluten-free, replace the breadcrumbs in the meatballs with an equal weight of grated zucchini. The resulting meatballs aren’t quite as firm as those made with bread, but this, arguably, makes them even more comforting.
Getting ahead: The meatballs can be made up to a day in advance and kept in the fridge, ready to fry. The molokhieh can also be made a day or two in advance. You can make up the whole thing well before serving; it keeps in the fridge for two days.
Recipe information
Yield
Serves 4
Ingredients
Meatballs:
1¾
1
2
1½
1
½
¼
½
½
½
1
2
Molokhieh:
2
1
1¾
1¾
½
½
1
Chile adha:
¼
6
½
½
Need to make a substitution?
Preparation
Step 1
To make the meatballs, place the breadcrumbs in a small bowl and cover with water. Stir, then drain through a colander, squeezing out most of the moisture from the bread. (If using grated zucchini, toss it with ½ tsp of salt and place in a sieve set over a bowl. Let to sit for 20 minutes, then use your hands to squeeze out as much liquid as possible.)
Step 2
Transfer the crumbs to a large bowl with the chicken, garlic, spices, herbs, lemon zest, ¾ tsp salt, and plenty of black pepper. Using well-oiled hands, shape into about 30 small balls; roughly a scant 1 oz/25g each.
Step 3
Put 1 tbsp of oil into a large nonstick sauté pan with a lid, and place over high heat. Once hot, add half the meatballs and cook for 2–3 minutes, turning throughout, until golden brown all over. Transfer the meatballs to a baking sheet and set aside. Keep the pan on the heat and continue with the remaining 1 tbsp of oil and remaining meatballs in the same way.
Step 4
Return the same pan to medium-high heat. Add the 2 garlic cloves, lemon rind, and stock and bring to a boil—this should take about 3 minutes. Add the molokhieh (or the spinach and okra combination), cinnamon, 2 tsp of salt, and plenty of black pepper, then decrease the heat to medium and cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, or until the molokhieh is bubbling and completely defrosted. Add the meatballs, parsley, and ½ cup/10g of cilantro and cook, covered, for another 10 minutes, or until completely cooked through. Stir in the lemon juice.
Step 5
To make the adha, meanwhile, put the olive oil into a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until golden and crispy. Add the chile flakes, then remove from the heat and pour into a bowl. Stir in the cilantro and set aside.
Step 6
Divide the soup among four bowls and top with the fried garlic and remaining ½ cup/10g cilantro. Serve at once, with lemon wedges alongside.
