Mansaf, a delicious Jordanian national dish of lamb and rice.

Mansaf is the national dish of Jordan, synonymous with hospitality and conviviality. This traditional dish is made with slow-cooked lamb , a jameed (dried yogurt) sauce , and rice , all garnished with pine nuts and toasted almonds. Its unique flavor comes from the jameed , which gives the sauce a tangy and creamy touch. Jameed may not be readily available, but it can be substituted with Greek yogurt mixed with cornstarch. In this gluten-free , the bread used as a base is replaced with gluten-free bread.

Preparation time: 20 minutes

Cooking time 90 minutes

Total time 1 hour 50 minutes

Cooking method: Traditional

Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 4

Special diet: naturally gluten-free

Ingredients

Meat and yogurt sauce

500g of lamb in pieces (shoulder or neck)
1 liter of water
200g of jameed ( or 400ml of plain Greek yogurt mixed with 1 tbsp of cornflour)
2 crushed garlic cloves
1/2 tsp of turmeric
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper

Rice

250g of rinsed basmati rice
500 ml of lamb cooking broth
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/2 tsp of turmeric

Trim

50g of toasted pine nuts
50g of toasted flaked almonds
Chopped fresh parsley
Gluten-free bread (optional)

Preparation

1
Prepare the meat
- In a large saucepan, boil 1 liter of water and add the lamb, cardamom, and cinnamon.
- Simmer gently for 1 hour , skimming off any impurities.
2
Prepare the yogurt (or jameed) sauce
- If using dry jameed: soak it in 500ml of hot water for 1 hour, then blend it until you get a smooth sauce.
- If you are using Greek yogurt: mix it with the cornstarch and whisk until smooth.
3
Simmering the meat in yogurt
- Pour the jameed sauce into a saucepan and heat gently.
- Add the crushed garlic and turmeric, then stir in the cooked lamb pieces.
- Simmer for 15 minutes , stirring regularly to prevent the sauce from separating.
4
Cooking rice
- In a saucepan, heat the olive oil , then add the rice and turmeric.
- Pour 500 ml of the lamb cooking broth and let it cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
5
Assembly and service
- If you wish, place the gluten-free bread in the bottom of a serving dish.
- Add the rice, then the lamb coated in jameed sauce.
- Sprinkle with pine nuts, toasted almonds and parsley .
- Serve hot with plain yogurt on the side.

Keywords: Jordanian Mansaf, Traditional Jordanian recipe, Gluten-free Middle Eastern cuisine, Lamb stewed in yogurt, Jordanian national dish