Lamb mansaf
“Mansaf is the most traditional dish in Jordan, enjoyed for every celebration. It is succulent, slow-cooked, marinated lamb, yellow rice (turmeric), yoghurt broth and shrak bread. Eaten traditionally standing up, with your right hand, I hope you enjoy!” says Chef Ashraf. 250g jameed (aged yoghurt) 250ml shaneenah (thin, drinking yoghurt) 2kg lamb shank 3l lamb stock 250g plain sheep yogurt 5g turmeric powder 1.5kg short grain rice 2 pcs shrak bread or Arabic flat bread 10g roasted pine nuts 10g chopped parsley 50g ghee 5g cardamom seeds 100g white onion (cut into half) 2g bay leaves 2g mesteka (plant resin/gum) What is jameed? Jameed is a hardened, dry yoghurt made from goat’s milk. Milk is kept in a fine, woven cheesecloth and salt is added daily to thicken the yoghurt further. After a few days of salting the yoghurt, it becomes very dense and it can be removed from the cheesecloth and shaped into round balls. It is then set to dry. FOR THE LAMB 1 Break the jameed stone and soak in a cold water overnight. Once soaked, crumble up the jameed using your hands. 2 Place the lamb meat in the cold jameed
water. Then place in a heavy-bottomed pot on the stove, simmer and skim. Add the salt, cardamom, bay leaves and onion and bring to boil until the meat is tender. 3 Mix the jameed mixture with the yoghurt and the shaneenah, and pass it through a fine sieve. 4 In a heavy pot, put all the ingredients and keep stirring until the yoghurt mixture starts to boil, and then add the lamb stock, ghee, ground mesteka and lamb meat. Boil for another 10 to 15 mins and set aside. FOR THE RICE 1 Heat a heavy-bottomed pot and add the ghee, rice, turmeric powder and water to cover. 2 Season the rice, mix through and add lamb stock. Bring to boil for 3 mins and cover. 3 Bring down the heat to a very low temperature for 30 mins or until the rice is cooked. When done, stir ghee through the rice. 4 In a large round tray place the shrak bread in the bottom add little amount of yoghurt sauce. Put the rice on the top of the bread and place the lamb on the top of the rice. Garnish the dish with chopped parsley and fried pine seed. And as always, Jordanians serve this dish with passion and love.
FROM THE UAE Chef Moatesem Al Asmi, the Arabic chef of Mazina, The Address Dubai Marina has created a delicious dish that is popular in the UAE during Ramadan. A light, tasty dish packed with vegetables, this will be a fantastic way to break the fast and keep hydrated.
Machboos rice with shrimps
Photography PRATIK GAIKWAD
Chef Moatesem Al Asmi
SERVES 4 6 to 8 shrimps 500g basmati rice 100g mix of capsicum and onion cubes 1 tbsp ghee 1 tsp chopped garlic 1 tsp chopped ginger 1 tsp salt 1 tsp white pepper 1 tsp turmeric 1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 Wash the rice and keep in the water for half n hour. 2 Sauté all the vegetables in ghee, in a pot, put the prawns and the spices, and half of the chopped coriander. Pour the water. And when it gets boiled strain the rice and put it in the boiling water. Cover the pot and cook further till the rice cooked. 3 Serve the rice with the shrimps with chopped coriander on top.
Note: Adjust the amount of water according to the amount of rice. You can garnish with crispy fried onion and nuts to add a nice crunch.