Mandi — Print Recipe — The Culinary Codex

Fragrant basmati rice and tender meat slow-cooked in an underground tandoor-style pit, infused with smoky wood aromas. This celebratory Yemeni dish from Hadhramaut is a feast for the senses.

Ingredients

1 whole chicken or 1kg lamb leg
3 cups basmati rice, soaked
2 onions, sliced
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp mandi spice mix
1 tsp saffron threads
2 dried limes
3 cardamom pods
2 cinnamon sticks
3 tbsp vegetable oil
Salt to taste
Raisins and toasted almonds for garnish

Instructions

1 Marinate meat with mandi spice mix, garlic, salt, and a drizzle of oil. Let rest for at least 2 hours or overnight in the refrigerator.
2 Prepare a smoking pit or use a deep pot method: place charcoal or wood at the bottom, set a rack above, and place marinated meat on the rack.
3 Cover tightly with foil and cook low and slow for 2-3 hours until the meat is fall-off-the-bone tender and deeply smoky.
4 Meanwhile, cook soaked rice with saffron, dried limes, cardamom, cinnamon sticks, and the meat drippings until fluffy and fragrant.
5 Layer the aromatic rice on a large communal platter, place the smoked meat on top, and scatter with toasted almonds and raisins.
6 Serve family-style with a tomato-chili salsa (sahawiq) and fresh salad on the side.

Did You Know?

Traditional mandi is cooked in a tandoor pit dug into the ground, where the meat hangs above smoldering wood and slow-cooks for hours in its own smoke.