Mansaf — Jordanian Lamb with Yogurt and Rice

The national dish of Jordan and a signature Bedouin celebration meal — lamb slowly cooked in jameed
(tangy fermented dried yogurt), served over rice and flatbread with toasted almonds and pine nuts.
Mansaf is eaten with the right hand, communally, from a shared platter. The height of Arab hospitality.

FASTING LEVEL: Non-Fasting (lamb, yogurt, dairy)

SERVINGS: 8
TIME: 3 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS:
- 2 kg bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, cut into 8 cm chunks
- 2 large onions, quartered
- 5 cardamom pods, crushed
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 5 whole cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 litres water
- 2 teaspoons turmeric
- Salt and black pepper

For the jameed yogurt sauce:
- 400 g jameed (dried fermented yogurt balls) — or substitute with 1 kg Greek yogurt + 2 tablespoons dry-cured yogurt powder
- 500 ml reserved lamb cooking liquid
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 3 tablespoons water (to stabilize)
- 2 teaspoons salt

For the rice:
- 500 g basmati rice, rinsed and soaked 30 minutes
- 4 tablespoons ghee
- 1 teaspoon turmeric

For serving:
- 2 large taboon or thin shrak flatbreads
- 100 g toasted almonds
- 50 g pine nuts, toasted
- Fresh parsley, chopped

METHOD:
1. Place lamb in a large pot with water, onions, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a simmer, skim foam thoroughly. Cook gently 2.5 hours until very tender.
2. Remove lamb; strain broth. Reserve 500 ml for the sauce.
3. Prepare jameed sauce: soak jameed balls in warm water overnight until softened, then whisk until smooth. (Or beat yogurt until very smooth.) Gradually add reserved lamb broth. Whisk cornstarch slurry in.
4. Bring sauce to a simmer in a pot, stirring constantly in one direction (to prevent curdling). Simmer gently 15-20 minutes until thickened and no longer raw-tasting. Do not boil hard.
5. Return lamb to the sauce and simmer gently 10 minutes.
6. Cook rice: heat ghee in a pot. Add drained rice, toast 1 minute. Add 750 ml water, turmeric, and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, cook 15 minutes. Rest 10 minutes off heat.
7. To serve in the traditional way: line a large round platter with the flatbread. Mound the rice on top. Arrange the lamb on the rice. Ladle several cups of sauce over the entire dish (remaining sauce is served alongside in bowls for dipping). Scatter toasted almonds, pine nuts, and parsley over.
8. Serve at the centre of the table. The sauce is ladled onto individual plates as people eat.

NOTES:
- Jameed is the soul of mansaf. Authentic jameed is made from fermented sheep or goat milk, dried into hard white balls. Available at Middle Eastern grocers (especially those with Jordanian products). Without it, mansaf is impressionistic.
- Stir in ONE direction only when heating the yogurt sauce. Reversing direction causes curdling. Middle Eastern grandmothers take this very seriously.
- Traditional mansaf is eaten by hand — the right hand forms small balls of rice, meat, and sauce. For a mixed-culture table, serve with spoons.
- This is celebration food: weddings, engagements, religious feasts. Antiochian Orthodox families in the region often serve it at Pascha.

NUTRITION (per serving, approximate):
Calories: 780 | Protein: 50 g | Carbohydrates: 68 g | Fat: 36 g | Fibre: 3 g