Mansaf — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

A grand platter of tender lamb simmered in tangy jameed (dried fermented yogurt) sauce, served over spiced rice and thin flatbread, crowned with toasted almonds and pine nuts. Mansaf is the ceremonial centerpiece of Palestinian celebrations.

Ingredients

1.5 kg lamb shoulder, bone-in, cut into large chunks
3 balls jameed (dried yogurt)
3 cups long-grain rice
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/2 cup pine nuts
3 tbsp ghee
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp allspice
1 cinnamon stick
Salt to taste
Thin shrak flatbread
Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1 Soak jameed balls in warm water for several hours or overnight, then blend until smooth and creamy to form a tangy yogurt sauce.
2 Boil lamb chunks in water with a cinnamon stick, skimming foam, for about 1.5 hours until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender.
3 Strain the lamb broth. Stir the blended jameed into the broth over medium heat, stirring constantly in one direction to prevent curdling.
4 Return the lamb to the jameed sauce. Simmer gently for 30 minutes, allowing the meat to absorb the tangy, fermented flavor.
5 Cook rice in salted water with turmeric, allspice, and a tablespoon of ghee until fluffy. Toast almonds and pine nuts in remaining ghee.
6 Layer shrak bread on a large round platter, mound rice on top, arrange lamb pieces over the rice, pour sauce over everything, and garnish with toasted nuts and parsley.

Did You Know?

Mansaf is traditionally eaten with the right hand while standing around the communal platter — using a spoon is considered a breach of tradition.