Ingredients

1/2 pint Chicken Stock

Method

Bring the stock to the boil over a high heat in a large, heavy saucepan. Stir in the milookhiyya, tomato puree, salt and a few grinding of pepper. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the milookhiyya dissolves and the soup is thick and smooth.

Mash the garlic and coriander to a smooth paste with a mortar and pestle or the back of a spoon. Melt the butter over a moderate heat in a small frying pan. When the foam has almost subsided, add the garlic and coriander and cook for a minute or two, stirring constantly, until the garlic is lightly browned. Add the entire contents of the frying pan to the soup and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes more, stirring constantly.

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.