Mansaf

★★★★4.9· 543 ratings

·Serves 8

About this Dish

Jordan's national dish and the ultimate expression of Bedouin hospitality — whole lamb slow-cooked in jameed (dried fermented goat yoghurt reconstituted into a sauce), served over rice and flatbread and topped with pine nuts and almonds. The jameed sauce is unlike anything else in world cuisine — sour, rich and intensely savoury. Eaten communally by hand at celebrations, the host serving the most honoured guests first.

IngredientsServes 8

🐑Bone-in lamb shoulder or leg, 1.5kg cut into large pieces

🧀Jameed (dried fermented goat yoghurt balls), 3 large pieces (about 400g)

🍚Long grain white rice, 2 cups rinsed

🫓Shrak flatbread (or large thin lavash), 2 sheets

🧅Brown onion, 1 large quartered

🌿Whole spices: 2 bay leaves, 4 cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 5 black peppercorns

🧈Clarified butter (ghee), 3 tablespoons

🌰Pine nuts and blanched almonds, 3 tablespoons each

🧂Salt, to taste

💧Water, enough to cover lamb (about 2 litres)

Method

Break the jameed into chunks and soak in 1.5 litres of warm water overnight or for at least 4 hours, rubbing and dissolving it into a thick, dark liquid. Strain through a fine sieve to remove any grit and set aside.

Place the lamb pieces in a large pot with the onion and whole spices, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and skim off any foam. Reduce heat and simmer for 1.5 to 2 hours until the lamb is very tender and nearly falling off the bone.

Remove the lamb from the broth and set aside. Strain 500ml of the lamb broth and add it to the dissolved jameed liquid, stirring well to combine into a unified sauce. Taste and season with salt — the jameed is naturally salty so add carefully.

Return the lamb pieces to the jameed sauce and simmer together over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly and the lamb absorbs the sour, tangy flavour.

Cook the rice using the remaining strained lamb broth instead of water, adding a pinch of turmeric for colour and salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then cover and cook on low heat for 15 minutes until fluffy.

Lay the shrak flatbread on a large serving platter and ladle a generous amount of jameed sauce over it to soften. Pile the rice on top, then arrange the lamb pieces over the rice. Spoon more jameed sauce over everything so it pools around the edges.

Heat the ghee in a small pan and fry the pine nuts and almonds until golden, then scatter over the top of the dish. Serve the remaining jameed sauce in a bowl on the side for guests to add more — mansaf is best eaten communally and generously.

User Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first!

Members can create lists, save favourites and get recommendations.

Find the Best Mansaf Near Me

AI-powered — Google, TripAdvisor and food blogs

🔥 Viral Recipes

How the world's most famous chefs — and creators — make this dish