⏱ Prep: 20 min 🔥Cook: 2 hrs 👤Serves: 6–8 🌍Origin: Jordan
Jordanian mansaf lamb in yogurt sauce is the national dish of Jordan, the feast served at weddings, at Eid, at homecomings and at any gathering that calls for something magnificent on the table. Lamb shoulder simmered until falling apart in a broth of cardamom, cinnamon and bay leaves, then finished in a tangy jameed yogurt sauce that coats every piece, layered over shrak flatbread and turmeric rice, finished with toasted almonds and pine nuts and a shower of fresh parsley. A dish built in three layers. Eaten communally. Unforgettable.
Ingredients
For the lamb
- 3 lbs (1.4kg) bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks. Bone-in produces the richest broth. Lamb shank works equally well.
- 1 large yellow onion, halved
- 6 whole cardamom pods, lightly cracked
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 8 cups (2 liters) water
For the jameed yogurt sauce
- 1 lb (450g) liquid jameed, fermented dried goat yogurt, the defining ingredient of mansaf. Available at Middle Eastern grocery stores as liquid jameed in jars or as hard dried balls soaked overnight in water and blended smooth. Jameed has a salty, tangy, slightly funky flavour unlike anything else. Substitute: 2 cups full-fat plain Greek yogurt plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus 1 cup reserved lamb broth, a milder result but excellent.
- 1 cup (240ml) reserved lamb broth, blended with the jameed to reach a pourable consistency
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch, prevents the yogurt sauce from splitting over heat
- 2 tablespoons ghee, or unsalted butter
For the turmeric rice
- 2 cups (400g) basmati rice, soaked 20 minutes, drained
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric, gives the rice its characteristic golden colour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups (840ml) reserved lamb broth, the rice must cook in lamb broth, this is what gives every grain its flavour
For assembly and garnish
- 2–3 sheets shrak or markook bread, very thin flatbread, the base layer. Substitute: large flour tortillas or lavash.
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted in 1 tablespoon ghee until golden
- ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted alongside the pine nuts
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
How to make Jordanian mansaf lamb in yogurt sauce
- Cook the lamb. Place lamb, halved onion, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in a large pot. Cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, skim foam for the first 5 minutes. Reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook 1½–2 hours until the lamb is completely tender and falling from the bone. Remove lamb and set aside. Strain and reserve all the broth.
- Make the jameed sauce. In a large pot over low heat, whisk together the jameed, 1 cup of reserved lamb broth and cornstarch until completely smooth. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 10–15 minutes until warmed through and slightly thickened. Do not boil, a boiling jameed sauce splits and curdles. Add the ghee. Add the cooked lamb pieces. Simmer gently for 10 minutes so the lamb absorbs the sauce. Keep warm.Never boil the jameed sauce, this is the single most important rule. Keep it at a low simmer throughout. If you see bubbles forming aggressively, reduce the heat immediately.
- Cook the rice. Heat ghee in a saucepan over medium heat. Add drained rice. Stir 2 minutes to toast. Add turmeric and salt. Pour in 3½ cups of reserved lamb broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to lowest heat, cover tightly and cook 18 minutes. Remove from heat and rest covered 10 minutes.
- Toast the nuts. Melt 1 tablespoon ghee in a small pan. Add pine nuts and almonds. Toast 2–3 minutes until golden. Set aside immediately.
- Assemble and serve. On a large round serving platter, lay the shrak bread as the base, tear into rough pieces to cover. Ladle 1–2 cups of jameed sauce over the bread to moisten it. Fluff the rice and pile it over the bread. Arrange the lamb pieces over the rice. Ladle more jameed sauce generously over the lamb. Scatter the toasted nuts and fresh parsley over the top. Serve the remaining jameed sauce in a bowl alongside for pouring.
The way mansaf is eaten
Mansaf is traditionally eaten standing around a large round platter, all guests eating from the same dish, using only the right hand to take pieces of lamb, rice and bread and roll them into a ball that is popped into the mouth in a single bite without the hand touching the lips.
This is not incidental to the dish, it is the dish. The shared platter, the right hand, the ball of rice and lamb, this is Jordanian Bedouin hospitality made into an act of eating. The food communicates generosity, trust and unity in a way that individual plates do not.
For home cooking in a non-traditional setting, individual bowls with a ladle of jameed sauce poured over rice and lamb are completely acceptable and every bit as delicious.
Make it ahead
Claire’s note
Mansaf is ideal for making ahead, the lamb can be cooked and refrigerated in its broth for up to 2 days. The broth deepens overnight. The jameed sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated very gently over low heat. The rice is best made fresh on the day, it takes 20 minutes. The toasted nuts are best made fresh at serving. For the jameed substitute: if you cannot find jameed, blend 2 cups full-fat Greek yogurt with 1 cup reserved lamb broth, 1 tablespoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon cornstarch and a pinch of salt, heat very gently. It will not have the salty, funky depth of real jameed but it produces a genuinely good mansaf.
Serve with
Mansaf is a complete celebration meal, the lamb, rice, sauce and bread together need nothing else on the table. Arabic coffee or sweet mint tea served after is the traditional Jordanian custom, the slight bitterness of the coffee cuts through the richness of the dish. For everything else on the Middle Eastern table the complete Middle Eastern recipes collection and the Lebanese recipes guide have it all.
Add Jordanian mansaf lamb in yogurt sauce to your weekly meal planner as a weekend feast, cook the lamb Saturday, assemble and serve Sunday. And for more recipes, follow us on Pinterest.
Print
Jordanian Mansaf Lamb in Yogurt Sauce
- Total Time: 140 minutes
- Yield: 6–8 servings 1x
- Diet: None
Description
A traditional Jordanian dish featuring lamb shoulder simmered in a flavorful broth and topped with a tangy jameed yogurt sauce, served over flatbread and turmeric rice.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs (1.4kg) bone-in lamb shoulder, cut into large chunks
- 1 large yellow onion, halved
- 6 whole cardamom pods, lightly cracked
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 1½ teaspoons salt
- 8 cups (2 liters) water
- 1 lb (450g) liquid jameed
- 1 cup (240ml) reserved lamb broth
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons ghee or unsalted butter
- 2 cups (400g) basmati rice, soaked 20 minutes
- 1 tablespoon ghee
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3½ cups (840ml) reserved lamb broth
- 2–3 sheets shrak or markook bread
- ¼ cup pine nuts, toasted
- ¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Place lamb, halved onion, cardamom, cinnamon, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt in a large pot. Cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, skim foam for the first 5 minutes. Reduce to a steady simmer. Cover and cook 90–120 minutes until the lamb is completely tender and falling from the bone. Remove lamb and set aside. Strain and reserve all the broth.
- In a large pot over low heat, whisk together the jameed, 1 cup of reserved lamb broth and cornstarch until completely smooth. Heat gently over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, for 10–15 minutes until warmed through and slightly thickened. Do not boil. Add the ghee. Add the cooked lamb pieces. Simmer gently for 10 minutes.
- Heat ghee in a saucepan over medium heat. Add drained rice. Stir for 2 minutes to toast. Add turmeric and salt. Pour in 3½ cups of reserved lamb broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to lowest heat, cover tightly and cook for 18 minutes. Remove from heat and rest covered for 10 minutes.
- Melt 1 tablespoon ghee in a small pan. Add pine nuts and almonds. Toast for 2–3 minutes until golden. Set aside immediately.
- On a large round serving platter, lay the shrak bread as the base, tear into rough pieces to cover. Ladle 1–2 cups of jameed sauce over the bread. Fluff the rice and pile it over the bread. Arrange the lamb pieces over the rice. Ladle more jameed sauce generously over the lamb. Scatter the toasted nuts and fresh parsley over the top.
Notes
Mansaf is ideal for making ahead; it can be refrigerated in its broth for up to 2 days. The jameed sauce can be made a day ahead and reheated gently. Serve with Arabic coffee or sweet mint tea.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 120 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Simmering
- Cuisine: Jordanian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 600
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 600mg
- Fat: 30g
- Saturated Fat: 15g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 40g
- Cholesterol: 90mg
