Mansaf from Jordan
Description
The national dish of Jordan is Mansaf: Lamb, sometimes lightly spiced, cooked in yoghurt, and served with huge quantities of rice. Feasting on Mansaf is taken seriously, and hours are spent in its preparations, if for a large group of people, like in weddings and other celebrations. --May 02:17, 24 March 2007 (MST) MAY-HUSUN
Ingredients
- lamb, cut up in large pieces with bone
- jameed, which is low fat yogurt, mixed with salt,then strained in cotton bags and dried in apple-sized balls
- water
- ½ teaspoon turmeric powder, for coloring
- pine nuts, fried in corn oil until golden
- almonds, boiled, peeled, and fried in corn oil until golden
- calrose rice (medium grain, Egyptian)
- vermicelli, for rice
Procedures
- Jameed is soaked overnight in water.
- If in large balls, it is broken to smaller pieces before soaking.
- It is mixed with water in a blender the next day, to make a thick creamy consistency.
- Meanwhile lamb pieces are boiled in water with salt and pepper and optional, a large onion, whole.
- The creamy jameed pot is brought to a boil on medium heat, easily stirred constantly to prevent separation.
- Turmeric powder is added to give a sunny color for the jameed sauce.
- Lamb broth is added to jameed pot to dilute the thick jameed then lamb pieces are added.
- Rice is soaked in boiling water ans salt for at least 30 minutes and up to two hours.
- Vermicelli is fried in oil until golden then water is added.
- Quantity of water is one and a half times the rice.
- Ie for each cup of rice, a cup and a half water.
- Large trays are covered with the large flat Arabic bread (shraak) and dampened with jameed.
- On top of this, a layer of rice is heaped.
- The meat is then piled on top.
- Fried nuts decorate the top and all around which gives a great sight and greater taste.
