Festive Jordanian Lamb in Yogurt over a Bed of Rice and Bread
MANSAF
JORDAN
Mansaf is a typical Bedouin dish that comes from Hebron in the West Bank. It is served at large family gatherings, for celebrations, or simply to honor special guests. Traditionally it was made with a whole lamb, with the lamb’s head proudly placed in the middle of the dish to indicate that the animal had been slaughtered for the occasion; but nowadays, it is more often than not made with a shoulder, a leg, or shanks. The meat is cooked in a yogurt sauce made with jameed, or dried yogurt.
Jameed is how Bedouins preserve the milk from their goats. To make it, the yogurt is drained in cotton sacks to remove the whey and salted every day until it thickens. The sacks are regularly rinsed with water on the outside to get rid of every trace of whey. The strained yogurt is then rolled into balls (either round or with a pointed top) and put to dry in the shade (if dried under direct sun, the jameed will be yellow instead of white) until the balls of jameed are rock hard to the core, after which they are stored away.
Jameed is mixed with water to reconstitute it before being used in in this dish. You can also make mansaf with fresh yogurt, although the flavor will not be as sour (the fermentation process gives jameed a particular flavor that imparts a faintly sour taste to the lamb as it cooks). I personally use a mixture of jameed for the sour flavor and fresh yogurt for creaminess. I have adapted the recipe below from one I found in a small Arabic cookbook, The Palestinian Kitchen. In the original recipe, the lamb is cooked in the yogurt-jameed mixture from the outset, but the yogurt can curdle during such long cooking, so I boil the lamb separately, then finish it in the yogurt sauce. While the flavor may not be quite so intense, the consistency of the sauce is creamier. You can also make mansaf with chicken but the dish will not be as celebratory as when made with lamb.
SERVES 6
4 lamb shanks (3 pounds 5 ounces/1.5 kg total)
1 medium onion (about 5 ounces/150 g), peeled
1 cinnamon stick
Sea salt
2 jameed balls (each about the size of a tennis ball), soaked overnight in 3 cups (750 ml) water (see Note)
4 cups (1 kg) Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
Good pinch of saffron threads
7 tablespoons (105 g) unsalted butter
2½ cups (500 g) Calasparra or Egyptian rice, rinsed under cold water and drained
FOR SERVING
⅔ cup (100 g) pine nuts
⅔ cup (100 g) blanched almonds
2 loaves handkerchief bread
A few sprigs flat-leaf parsley, most of the bottom stems discarded, finely chopped
1. Put the shanks in a large pot and cover with water. Add the onion and cinnamon stick and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, skimming the froth from the surface. Reduce the heat to medium-low, season with salt to taste, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, or until the meat is tender.
2. Meanwhile, knead the jameed in its soaking water to help it dissolve completely. Strain the liquid into a large pot in case there are still little pellets of undissolved jameed. Add the Greek yogurt and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent the yogurt from curdling. Stir in the allspice, cinnamon, black pepper, and saffron. Remove from the heat as soon as the yogurt comes to a boil. Cover the pan with a clean kitchen towel and keep warm.
3. Melt the butter in a small pot and add the rice, stirring it in the butter until well coated. Add 4 cups (1 liter) water and season with salt to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the rice is tender and the water is fully absorbed. Wrap the lid in a clean kitchen towel and replace over the rice.
4. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C).
5. Spread the pine nuts and almonds on separate nonstick baking sheets and toast in the oven until they turn golden brown (5 to 6 minutes for the pine nuts, 7 to 8 minutes for the almonds). Remove from the oven.
6. Remove the cooked lamb from the broth and take the meat off the bone. Drop the boiled lamb into the yogurt sauce and place the pan over low heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring all the time, adding a ladle or two of broth until you have a sauce the consistency of light cream. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
7. To serve, lay the bread over a large round serving platter. Spread the rice over the bread, then arrange the meat over the rice. Ladle as much yogurt sauce as you would like over the meat and rice without making the dish soupy. Pour any leftover sauce into a sauceboat. Garnish with the toasted nuts and serve immediately.
NOTE: If dried jameed is not available, use 1½ cups (355 ml) prepared jameed stock or soup.