Mansaf – Jordanian Mansaf Recipe

Mansaf – Jordanian Mansaf Recipe –

Mansaf, Jordan’s national dish is made with lamb and no other meat. Mansaf means a large dish served on a large plate. The dish is usually saffron rice and stewed lamb served over a large unleavened flat bread, garnished generously with toasted nuts and parsley curls.

Jameed is the main ingredient in mansaf. Jameed is a preserved yogurt. Sheep’s or Goat’s yogurt is salted, dehydrated and balled up to improve its shelf life in the desert. We picked up a few packs of Jameed during our recent visit to Dubai. However, if you cannot get your hands on it, feel free to make your mansaf with old yogurt which is mildly sour.

Our recipe will yield 10 servings, with 798 kilocalories in each. To follow our recipe, you will need the ingredients listed below.

Ingredients, Measurements & Nutritional Values

For Lamb Stew
Jameed	650 grams
Water for Jameed	2.5 litres
Water for stew	1.5 litres
To Sear Lamb
Ghee	10 grams
Lamb shanks	1.5 kg
To Prep Rice
Saffron	1 teaspoon
Boiling water	500 ml
Brown rice	500 grams
Green cardamom	10
Ghee	10 grams
To Toast
Sunflower oil	1/2 tablespoon
Pine nuts	50 grams
Almonds	50 grams
To Garnish
Parsley	A handful
Flat bread
Markook	2

Click on the nutritional chart below to zoom

Video Walk Through – Mansaf – Jordanian Mansaf Recipe

Instructions – Mansaf – Jordanian Mansaf Recipe

Prep Jameed

Note – If you cannot find Jameed, you may use old yogurt which is mildly sour.

1. Crush jameed and transfer it to a bowl.
2. Add water and mix well. Cover and leave it on your kitchen for 24 hours to rehydrate.
3. 24 hours later, using your hands squish the solids. Now your jameed will be creamy.

Prep Saffron Water

1. Set a pan on low heat.
2. Add saffron strands and toast for 30 seconds.
3. Once toasted, pound the toasted strands into a fine powder using a pestle and mortar.
4. Add the powdered saffron to 500 ml of boiling water and mix well.

Prep Saffron Rice

1. Wash and sort brown rice thoroughly.
2. Transfer rice to a pressure cooker and cover it with saffron water. We used 500 ml of saffron water for 500 grams of brown rice.
3. Add ghee and green cardamom pods.
4. Pressure cook for two whistles. Allow the pressure to release naturally. Fluff up the rice using a fork and set aside.

Sear Lamb

Note – You may use any cut of lamb, but make sure you use meat with bones.

1. Set a pan on high heat.
2. Add ghee and allow it to heat up.
3. Add lamb shanks and sear for two to three minutes.
4. Three minutes later, remove the seared lamb from the pan and set aside.

Make Stew

1. Transfer the rehydrated jameed to a large, heavy bottomed pot. Do not turn on the heat yet.
2. Dilute it with 1.5 litres of water.
3. Turn on the heat and set it to the lowest. You do not want to shock the yogurt and curdle it. Mix well for ten minutes and bring it to a very mild simmer.
4. Add the seared lamb shanks and mix well.
5. Cover and cook on low heat for 2.5 hours.
6. 2.5 hours later, remove from heat. Mix well and set aside.

Toast Nuts

1. Set a pan on medium heat.
2. Add sunflower oil and allow it to heat up.
3. Add pine nuts and almonds. Toast for a minute or two and set aside.

Assemble Mansaf

1. Spread markook over a large  tray. Markook is an unleavened flat bread from the Levant. It is also known as saj bread or rumali roti.
2. Spread the saffron rice over the bread.
3. Pour generous ladlesful of the stewed lamb over the rice.
4. Garnish with toasted nuts and parsley curls.
5. Cover the tray with another markook.

Mansaf , another healthy recipe, the hissing cooker way.