Jordanian Mansaf (Lamb with Jameed)
Mansaf is a traditional Jordanian dish made with tender lamb, served with a tangy jameed yogurt sauce over rice and flatbread. It's a festive meal often enjoyed on special occasions, bringing people together to celebrate with its rich flavors.
Ingredients
For the Lamb
- 1½-2 kilogram bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into medium sized pieces
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
- water to cover lamb
- 10 cardamom pods
- 5 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
For the Rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil or ghee
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 3 cups medium gran rice (Egyptian rice), washed and soaked for 30 minutes (see notes)
- 3 cups prepared lamb stock, or water (see notes)
For the Jameed
- 500 grams liquid jameed, see notes
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups prepared lamb stock
For Serving
- 2 large pieces of thin bread like markook
- ½ cup blanched almonds, toasted in olive oil to golden brown
- ½ cup parsley, chopped
Instructions
For the Lamb
- In a large bowl sprinkle the lamb pieces with the 1½ teaspoons salt. In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once hot, sear the lamb pieces for 2-3 minutes on each side until lightly golden. Cover the lamb with water and add the cardamom pods, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and black peppercorn. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on medium heat for 1 ½ hours until tender. Alternatively, you can also sear the lamb in the instant pot and pressure cook for 40 minutes.
- Once cooked, strain the broth from the lamb and set aside. You need 3 cups of the lamb stock for cooking the rice, and at least 2-3 cups for the jameed sauce. If you don't have enough, you can add water to it until you reach 5 cups.
For the Rice
- In a medium sized pot, combine the oil or ghee with salt and turmeric, then add the rice and stir to combine. Add the broth. Bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, lower the heat to low, cover and let cook for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, fluff the rice with a fork and cover with a towel so the steam is absorbed.
For the Jameed
- In a large blender, blend the jameed with 2 cups of the broth and the cornstarch until smooth.
- Transfer the jameed sauce to the pot that the lamb was cooked in and let boil for 5 minutes over medium heat. Add more broth gradually until you have a soupy consistency (if you run out of broth, add water). Add the cooked lamb to the boiling sauce and allow them to cook together for 10 minutes on medium heat. Do not bring to a boil.
For Serving
- In a large serving platter, start by laying the markook bread, then ladel over some of the jameed sauce from the lamb, followed by the rice. Top the rice with the lamb pieces and more sauce. Garnish with the parsley and almonds. Serve hot!
Notes
- Rice cooking can differ from one kind to another, so it is really important to follow the instructions on the package to see the ratio of liquid to rice. For most medium grain varieties, I wash it until water runs clear, then soak it for 30 minutes. I cook it with a 1:1 ratio of rice to liquid.
- When finishing the jameed sauce, taste and add salt accordingly, since the jameed itself is salty.
- Jameed can be found in liquid and solid form. If only the solid one is available, you have to soak a 200 gram solid ball in water overnight and blend it the next day with 450 ml water to use similarly to the liquid one.
- If neither the liquid nor the solid jameed is available, you can use this instead as a substitute:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon citric acid
Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 551kcal, Carbohydrates: 70g, Protein: 26g, Fat: 18g, Saturated Fat: 4g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 10g, Trans Fat: 0.001g, Cholesterol: 59mg, Sodium: 1160mg, Potassium: 515mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 74IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 152mg, Iron: 3mg
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