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Mansaf
Jordanian lamb & rice
4 LBS lean lamb, cut into large cubes (sub with beef or chicken if preferred)
1/4 LB Jameed or 2 C plain yogurt*
1 large onion, chopped
1 egg white, beaten until frothy
1/4 C clarified butter
1/4 C pine nuts
1/4 C slivered almonds
Water
Salt to taste
2 TBS Baharat spice
4 large pita breads, split open to make 8 pieces
3 C basmati rice, rinsed
Place lamb cubes in a cooking pot; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil slowly over medium-low heat. Skim surface of fat and particles when necessary. Add salt to taste. Cover and boil gently for about thirty minutes.
Place yogurt (or Jameed* mixed with water) in a heavy-based pan or skillet. Add frothy egg white and corn flour; stir gently with a wooden spoon to blend. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly. Heat yogurt mixture until it begins to boil, stirring continuously in the same direction (otherwise yogurt will curdle). Lower heat and allow to boil gently, uncovered, for three to five minutes, or until thickened.
Heat butter in a skillet; add pine nuts and almonds. Fry nuts until golden but not burned; remove nuts to a plate, draining butter back into skillet. Add onion and fry gently until translucent. Stir in Baharat; cook for another two minutes.
Remove cover from boiling lamb; stir in onion mixture. Allow to cook an additional thirty minutes to reduce liquid by half. When reduced, stir in yogurt sauce. Boil gently on low heat until lamb is tender and sauce is thick.
Cook basmati rice according to package directions. Arrange pita breads on a serving platter; spoon rice over the top. Sprinkle with pine nuts and slivered almonds. When lamb is cooked, remove the meat chunks with a slotted spoon and place on top of rice and nuts. Sprinkle remaining nuts over entire platter. Serve.
*Mansaf Recipe Notes: Jameed is a dried form of whey yoghurt, which is a traditional food in Jordan. It is made from goat or ewe's milk. Jameed can be found in Middle Eastern specialty shops, or ordered directly online through Jordanian and US vendors (Amazon, Kasih Food, Knorr, Parthenon Foods and the JO Shop, among others).
Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan. The name is derived from the term "large tray" or "large dish." There are variations of the recipe in different regions of Jordan, including fish, chicken and beef in the place of lamb. In some Northern urban areas, a less traditional version of Mansaf is often prepared using non-dried yogurt known as "shakreyyeh."
*Mansaf image (C) History Feelings (2012). Used under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.
Similar recipes:
Curry d'Agneau (Comorian Lamb Curry)
Qoozi (Bahraini lamb with rice)
Skoudehkaris (Djiboutian lamb & rice in tomato sauce)
Zurbian (Saudi Arabian lamb & rice)
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