This mansaf features tender lamb simmered in jameed (dried yogurt) infused broth, served on top of fluffy rice, and garnished with toasted nuts.
Mansaf is popular in Palestine and across the Middle East, but it originated in Jordan! This traditional dish is quintessential of bedouins and is considered the national dish of Jordan.
As musakhan is considered the national dish of Palestine. The dish maqoubeh is also popular and is served at big gatherings.
What is Mansaf?
Mansaf is a traditional dish that holds significant cultural importance in Jordan and other countries in the region. It is served on special occasions, such as weddings, holidays, and large gatherings.
The main component of mansaf is lamb, and jameed which is a fermented and dried yogurt product. This yogurt gives the dish its rich and tangy taste.
Mansaf is usually served on a large platter layered with shrak bread, and rice, then topped with tender cooked lamb shanks, and garnished with toasted almonds which add a nutty crunchy texture to the dish.
One of the distinctive aspects of mansaf is the way it is traditionally eaten. It is customary to eat mansaf using your hand. The dish is typically served communally, with everyone gathered around the platter, and diners use pieces of bread to scoop up the meat, rice, and sauce of jameed yogurt.
Mansaf holds cultural significance as it reflects the hospitality and generosity of Jordanian and Palestinian, and Arab cultures. It is a symbol of unity and community, bringing people together to share a delicious and memorable meal.
What is Jameed?
Jameed (some call it kishek) is a key ingredient in this recipe and plays an essential role in preparing this dish. It consists of fermented dried yogurt usually made from goat's milk. To make jameed the yogurt is strained then formed into small balls, then sun-dried for several weeks. The fermentation process contributes to that distinct tangy salty flavor of what is laban jameed.
Jameed is known for its long shelf life, making it an essential ingredient in Jordanian and Palestinian cuisine, particularly in dishes like mansaf and shish barak. Once jameed is mixed with water it dissolves to create a rich, creamy sauce that adds depth and tanginess to the dish.
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Equipment
Pressure Cooker - lamb usually takes longer to cook, but using a pressure cooker cuts the time in less than half resulting in a tender lamb.
Dutch Oven: if you don't have a pressure cooker, a Dutch pot can work, but will take up to 2 hours for the lamb to cook.
Utility Whisk - to whisk jameed and broth well together.
Large saucepan - to make the rice.
Round tray or large plate - to layer and serve the dish.
Ingredients
Full ingredients, measurements, and instructions are in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Lamb shanks or lamb shoulder - the rich flavor of lamb is essential in this dish, I use lamb on a bone which provides extra richness to the broth.
- Bay leaves and cardamom pods- used while boiling the meat, help to add flavor to lamb broth.
- Turmeric - a small amount of turmeric is used while cooking the rice, the yellow rice gives dish the beautiful golden color.
- Jameed liquid - balls of jameed are traditionally used in this recipe, but readily available liquid jameed can be found at any middle eastern grocery store.
- Rice - I use short-grain rice with this recipe.
- Ghee or unsalted butter - using ghee or butter while cooking the rice, makes the rice richer in taste.
- Shrak bread or tortilla - shrak bread is a very thin large round shaped bread, traditionally used with this recipe. However, any type of flat bread or tortilla can be used.
- Toasted almonds - the almonds give the dish a nutty crunchy flavor and pair nicely with rice, lamb, and jameed. It's essential in this recipe.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1 | Cover meat with enough water. Set over high heat.
Step 2 | Cook until water comes to a boil and foam rises to the surface.
Step 3 | Remove from heat, drain the meat, then wash with water to remove any foam clinging to them.
Step 4 | Bring the meat back to the pot, and add spices and onion.
Step 5 | Cover with enough water, and seal the lid.
Step 6 | Once cooking the broth with lamb is done, drain the broth.
Step 7 | Add jameed to the broth.
Step 8 | Whisk jameed with broth well.
Step 9 | Bring lamb to jameed and broth sauce and let it cook all together.
Prepare the Rice:
Meanwhile, cook rice separately.
Step 1 | Drain rice after soaking, add turmeric, salt, and water and let it cook.
Step 2 | Let the rice cook for 15 minutes, then fluff with a fork, and set aside.
To Layer and Serve
Step 1 | Place bread on a platter, tear it into large pieces, and spread it to all edges. Ladle yogurt sauce, spread all over to soak through, and soften the bread.
Step 2 | Fluff rice over bread and spread around.
Step 3 | Set lamb on top of rice, and add some sauce over the lamb and rice. Sprinkle with roasted almonds.
Substitutions and Variations
- Since jameed has a strong tangy flavor you can use half of the quantity and mix it with regular yogurt as follows: add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to ½ cup of water and whisk well with one cup of plain yogurt then pour over mixed jameed with broth. Continue to whisk until everything is integrated well together, then continue with step 9.
- You can use toasted pine nuts in addition to toasted almonds.
Storage and Reheating
- Leftover mansaf can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Extra sauce with lamb can be stored separately and layered with rice and fresh bread the next day.
- You can heat the sauce and rice separately in a saucepan or in the microwave.
Pro Tips
- If you would like to use balls of jameed, wrap the ball in a kitchen towel, and smash it with a hard object once cracked into pieces place it in a large pot and cover 2-3 cups of water overnight. It needs to be soaked in water for at least 8-12 hours before cooking. Then blend the soaked jameed with water in an immersion blender before adding it to the meat broth and follow steps 8 and 9.
- If using a Dutch oven, lamb needs to simmer for about 1-½ to 2 hours.
- To peel the skin off almonds, place one cup of almonds in a bowl, pour boiled water, and let them soak for ½ an hour or until the water cooled off and is safe to touch, then with your fingers slide out the skin of each almond.
- To toast almonds or pine nuts, in a small skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter or neutral oil, over medium heat, bring almonds and nuts, and saute for a few minutes until golden brown.
- The jameed yogurt has a salty tangy taste, there is no need to add any salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Lamb is the traditional way to serve with this dish, the lamb gives it that unique flavor with jameed. But you can certainly use chicken or beef shanks.
You can use cooked freekeh, which works perfectly well with this dish.
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Jordanian Mansaf Recipe
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 45
- Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
- Category: stove
- Cuisine: Arabic
Description
This Jordanian mansaf recipe features tender lamb simmered in a jameed (dried yogurt) infused broth, served on top of fluffy rice, and garnished with toasted nuts. It's considered to be Jordan's National dish, and often served on special occasions, such as weddings, holidays, and large gatherings.
Ingredients
For the Broth:
- 4-5 lamb pieces (about 3 pounds)
- 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and cut into 2 or 4 halves
- 3-4 cardamom pods
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- tap water
For the Rice:
- 2 cups rice (short grain)
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter or ghee
- ¼ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 2 cups of boiled water
For the Yogurt Sauce:
- 2 cups of liquid jameed
- 3 cups of lamb broth
To assemble and serve
- 1 large shrak or 2 medium size flat bread or tortillas.
- 1 cup roasted almonds, or half pine nuts and half almonds.
Instructions
For the Broth:
- In a pressure cooker or large pot or Dutch oven, place lamb and cover fully with enough water. Set over high heat and cook until water comes to a boil and foam rises to the surface.
- Remove from heat, drain lamb, and toss water, then wash lamb with clean water to remove any foam clinging to them.
- Return lamb to pot along with basil leaves, onion, cardamom pods, cinnamon stick, and salt. Add enough water to cover all the ingredients about 6 cups, seal the pressure cooker with the lid, and place on high heat, once you hear the whistle of the pressure cooker, set a timer for 30-35 minutes.
- Let the pressure cooker cool off before lifting the lid, for about 15 minutes.
- Take the lamb out of the pot and place it on a plate. Strain broth discarding, onions, and other spices (broth and lamb are hot make sure to use a tong).
- Using the same pot measure 3 cups of broth, add liquid jameed (2 cups) whisk well.
- Bring back lamb pieces into the pot into the sauce mixture and let it cook on medium-high heat for about 10-15 minutes.
For the Rice:
- Soak rice for 10 minutes.
- In a medium pot heat ghee or butter, rinse rice, and add over ghee, add salt, turmeric combines everything well, and cover with boiled water.
- Turn the heat on low, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 15 minutes.
To Assemble and Serve:
- To serve, lay bread on top of a round large platter, or tear it up into large pieces and arrange it to cover the platter.
- Pour enough yogurt sauce over the bread to soak through and soften.
- Spoon rice and spread it on top of the bread.
- Set lamb on top. Ladle enough yogurt sauce all over, but not to the point that it is wet and soaked like soup. Extra sauce can be placed in separate bowls on the side and then added separately over mansaf to individual serving plates.
- Sprinkle all over with the toasted almonds.
- Serve, by scooping with a large serving spoon and serve in individual plates.
Notes
- If you would like to use balls of jameed, wrap the ball in a kitchen towel, and smash it with a hard object once cracked into pieces place it in a large pot and cover 2-3 cups of water overnight. It needs to be soaked in water for at least 8-12 hours before cooking. Then blend the soaked jameed with water in an immersion blender before adding it to the meat broth and follow steps 8 and 9.
- If using a Dutch oven, lamb needs to simmer for about 1-½ to 2 hours.
- To peel the skin off almonds, place one cup of almonds in a bowl, pour boiled water, and let them soak for ½ an hour or until the water cooled off and is safe to touch, then with your fingers slide out the skin of each almond.
- To toast almonds or pine nuts, in a small skillet add 1 tablespoon of butter or neutral oil, over medium heat, bring almonds and nuts, and saute for a few minutes until golden brown.
- The jameed yogurt has a salty tangy taste, there is no need to add any salt.
Rima says
I love this recipe, I grew up eating it. Thank you.
Wafa Shami says
Great to hear that!
Sima says
Yum, one of my favorite, and you mastered it!
Wafa Shami says
Mine too. Thank you!