YEMENI MANDI
YEMEN
The first time I had mandi was in Syria at Palmyra, a fabulous Roman site in the middle of the desert once ruled by Queen Zenobia in the third century. A Frenchman built a fascinating hotel right on the edge of the ruins in the early 1900s and called it the Zenobia Hotel. It must have been magnificent then and I guess for a while longer, although sadly not by the time I got to know it. The only magnificent thing left was the setting, with its spectacular views of the ruins from some of the rooms and the most amazing terrace overlooking the ruins and at times unbelievable sunsets. I always included Palmyra on the itinerary of my culinary tours, not only for the ruins but also to let the group sample the chef’s mandi. The dish comes from Yemen, where they make it by roasting a whole lamb in a tannur oven, which they then serve over a luxurious rice flavored with saffron, nuts, and raisins. But the Palmyra mandi was made with lamb shanks and roasted in a regular oven, and the yellow color of the rice came from turmeric and not saffron. Still, my groups and I enjoyed it—that is, until I had mandi at a specialist mandi restaurant in Dubai where the cooks were Yemeni. The rice there was flavored with saffron and enriched with ghee while the meat was cooked in a tannur oven—although it was a shoulder and ribs and not a whole lamb—and was far superior to the Syrian version. Mandi has now been adopted by most Arab countries and you find it throughout the Middle East. The recipe below is closer to the mandi I had in Dubai except that it is made with chicken. You can use lamb shanks instead (see Note).
SERVES 4
FOR THE CHICKEN
4 teaspoons Yemeni Mandi Spice Mixture
Juice of 1 lemon
Good pinch of saffron threads
Sea salt
1 whole organic chicken (3 pounds 5 ounces/1.5 kg), quartered
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
FOR THE RICE
1 tablespoon (15 g) unsalted butter
1 small onion (3½ ounces/100 g), finely chopped
4 green cardamom pods
4 whole cloves
6 black peppercorns
1 small tomato (2½ ounces/75 g), seeded and finely diced
1½ cups (300 g) basmati rice, rinsed under cold water
Sea salt
1. To marinate the chicken: Combine the mandi spice mixture, lemon juice, and saffron in a large bowl. Add 2 tablespoons water and salt to taste and mix well. Let steep for 15 minutes. Add the chicken pieces and toss them in the marinade. Let marinate for at least 2 hours, preferably longer in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil in a large deep skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and slowly roast for 30 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate. Pour the cooking juices into a large jug.
3. To make the rice: Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add the whole spices and stir for a couple of minutes. Then add 1⅔ cups (410 ml) water to the jug with the chicken cooking juices. Stir well and add to the pot, along with the tomato and rice. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover and place the chicken pieces over the rice. Wrap the lid with a clean kitchen towel and replace over the pot. Take off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Serve hot.
NOTE: To make the mandi with lamb, use 2 shanks if they are very large or 4 if they are a regular size. Depending on the size and quality of the shanks, you will need to cook them for at least 30 minutes longer than the chicken.