Rice & Lamb Mansaf (Jordanian)
The national dish of Jordan: tender lamb simmered with spices, served over rice with a warm jameed (fermented dried yoghurt) sauce, toasted nuts and flatbread.
⏱️ Prep: 30 min🍳 Cook: 120 min
Nutrition
680
Calories
38g
Protein
55g
Carbs
32g
Fat
Ingredients
| 500 g | Lamb shoulder or leg, cut into large pieces | |
| 300 g (1 1/2 cups) | Basmati rice | |
| 1 litre (4 cups) / 500 g | Jameed sauce (see method) or laban (soured yoghurt) diluted with water | |
| 3 tbsp | 45 ml | Ghee or vegetable oil |
| 1 | Large onion, chopped | |
| 2 | Bay leaves | |
| 1 | Cinnamon stick | |
| 4 | Cardamom pods | |
| 1 tsp | 5 ml | Black peppercorns |
| to taste | Salt | |
| 2 | Jameed balls (dried salted yoghurt), soaked overnight then blended smooth — or 500 g Greek yoghurt + 2 tbsp salt + 500 ml water, simmered gently | |
| 50 g | Toasted pine nuts | |
| 50 g | Slivered almonds, toasted | |
| for serving | Flatbread (shrak) |
Instructions
Difficulty: Advanced. Prep time: 30 minutes + overnight soaking for jameed (if using dried). Cook time: 2 hours. Serves 6. Dietary labels: Contains meat and dairy (yoghurt).
- Prepare lamb: In a large pot, heat ghee. Brown lamb pieces on all sides. Remove and set aside.
- In the same pot, saute onion until soft. Add bay leaves, cinnamon, cardamom, peppercorns, and salt.
- Return lamb to the pot. Add enough water to cover (about 1.5 litres). Bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1.5 hours until lamb is very tender.
- Make jameed sauce: While lamb cooks, prepare the yoghurt sauce. If using jameed, blend soaked jameed with some of the lamb broth until smooth. If using laban/yoghurt, whisk with 500 ml lamb broth.
- Remove lamb from the pot. Strain the broth. Reserve 500 ml broth for rice.
- In a clean pot, heat the jameed sauce gently (do not boil - it may curdle). Add the cooked lamb to the sauce and keep warm.
- Cook rice: In a separate pot, bring the reserved 500 ml lamb broth and 500 ml water to a boil. Add rice and cook until tender (about 15 minutes). Drain if needed.
- Assemble: Spread rice on a large platter. Place lamb pieces on top. Pour warm jameed sauce over everything.
- Garnish with toasted pine nuts and almonds. Serve with flatbread on the side.
Chef's tip: Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan, eaten with the right hand, rolling meat and rice into small balls. Never let the jameed sauce boil - keep it just below a simmer.