Jordanian Mansaf with Lamb and Jameed
Mansaf is made by simmering lamb until tender, then cooking it in a sauce of reconstituted jameed (dried fermented yoghurt), stirring constantly in one direction to stop it curdling. It is served over shrak flatbread moistened with the sauce, topped with rice and then the meat, with more hot sauce poured over at the table.
- Prep
- 30 min
- Cook
- 120 min
- Total
- 150 min
- Calories
- 720
Mansaf is Jordan's national dish and its ultimate gesture of hospitality. Its one real challenge is the jameed: heat it wrongly and it curdles and splits. This method stops that happening.
Method
-
1
Soak the jameed
Soak the jameed in warm water overnight, then break it down by hand or in a blender until it is a smooth liquid, and strain out any remaining grains.
⏱ 20 min -
2
Simmer the lamb
Simmer the lamb with the onion, cardamom and bay leaves until tender, skimming the foam as it rises. Keep the stock.
⏱ 80 min -
3
Cook the jameed
Over low heat, warm the strained jameed while stirring constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon — do not stop stirring until it comes to a simmer. Add the slaked cornflour if you want it thicker.
⏱ 25 min -
4
Combine
Add the cooked lamb to the jameed sauce and hold it at the barest simmer for twenty minutes so it takes on the flavour.
⏱ 20 min -
5
Rice and assembly
Cook the rice with the ghee and the lamb stock. On a large tray: lay out the shrak, moisten it with the jameed sauce, then the rice, then the lamb on top, and scatter over the almonds and pine nuts. Serve the hot sauce alongside in a jug.
⏱ 25 min
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Tips that actually matter
- Constant stirring in one direction is the golden rule for keeping jameed from curdling.
- Never let the jameed boil hard — keep the heat as low as it goes.
- Moisten the shrak only minutes before serving, or it turns to paste.
People also ask
My jameed curdled. What now?
Take it off the heat and blitz it with a stick blender, then return it to low heat and keep stirring. Next time, add a spoonful of cornflour from the start.
Can I use ordinary yoghurt?
It works as a substitute (yoghurt plus cornflour), but the flavour is entirely different — jameed is the identity of the dish.
Which cut of lamb is best?
Young lamb on the bone — the bone gives the sauce both body and flavour.
Cook mode
Jordanian Mansaf with Lamb and Jameed
-
1
Soak the jameed
Soak the jameed in warm water overnight, then break it down by hand or in a blender until it is a smooth liquid, and strain out any remaining grains.
-
2
Simmer the lamb
Simmer the lamb with the onion, cardamom and bay leaves until tender, skimming the foam as it rises. Keep the stock.
-
3
Cook the jameed
Over low heat, warm the strained jameed while stirring constantly in one direction with a wooden spoon — do not stop stirring until it comes to a simmer. Add the slaked cornflour if you want it thicker.
-
4
Combine
Add the cooked lamb to the jameed sauce and hold it at the barest simmer for twenty minutes so it takes on the flavour.
-
5
Rice and assembly
Cook the rice with the ghee and the lamb stock. On a large tray: lay out the shrak, moisten it with the jameed sauce, then the rice, then the lamb on top, and scatter over the almonds and pine nuts. Serve the hot sauce alongside in a jug.
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