Mansaaf Spiced Lamb Food

SPICED ROAST LAMB

Steps:

• Stir together the marinade ingredients and season with ½ tsp ground black pepper and 1½ tsp flaky salt. Slash the lamb several times on both sides, then massage the marinade all over it. Seal into a large food bag or non-metallic container and chill overnight (or at least for a few hrs). Let the lamb sit at room temperature for 1 hr before roasting.
• Heat oven to 220C/200C fan/gas 7. Put the lamb into a foil-lined roasting tin and roast for 20 mins. Turn the oven down to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 and roast for 1 hr 20 mins for meat that's pink near the bone. Cover loosely with foil halfway through cooking or once the marinade has charred and the meat looks golden.
• Leave the lamb to rest for 20 mins before carving, then serve with lentil & tomato and cucumber salads (see related recipes).

AL MANSAF

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 3 tablespoons ghee over medium. Add onion, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board and remove meat from bones; set aside. Strain cooking liquid and discard solids. Return strained cooking liquid to pot.
• Whisk together 1 1/2 cups yogurt and cornstarch. Add to pot along with chicken, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until chicken is very tender and liquid has reduced and thickened to a sauce-like consistency, about 35 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and lemon juice. Remove from heat and let cool. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Meanwhile, make the rice: In a medium saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons ghee over medium. Add rice, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until rice is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes, then stir in cilantro.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To assemble, brush two 6-cup jumbo nonstick muffin tins with ghee. Place one spring roll wrapper on work surface and lightly brush with melted ghee. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap while you work.) Place a second wrapper on top, overlapping by 3 1/2 inches, to form a rectangle. Transfer to muffin tin, pressing into one of the cups. Fill with about 1/3 cup rice, followed by 1/3 cup chicken mixture, and 1 tablespoon cashews. Bring edges of wrappers up and press together in an irregular pattern to seal. Brush lightly with more melted ghee. Repeat process with remaining wrappers, rice, chicken, and cashews. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Use an offset spatula to transfer pies to a serving platter. Sprinkle with pistachios before serving.

LAMB IN SPICED YOGURT SAUCE WITH RICE AND BREAD

Steps:

• Combine lamb and 4 cups water in a wide 5-quart heavy pot (add more water to just cover lamb if necessary). Bring to a boil over moderate heat, skimming froth from surface. Once liquid is clear and at a full boil, add pepper and 1 teaspoon salt, then cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• While meat is simmering, heat butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat. Add pine nuts and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Transfer nuts with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Add onion to skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, about 12 minutes. Stir in turmeric, allspice, cardamom pods, and cinnamon and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
• Add onion mixture to lamb and simmer, covered, 1 hour. Remove lid and briskly simmer until liquid is reduced by half, about 1 hour more. Add yogurt, gently shaking and swirling pot to incorporate.
• Simmer lamb over moderately low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally in one direction only (or yogurt may curdle), until sauce is slightly thickened and meat is very tender, 30 to 40 minutes. Season sauce with salt and pepper if necessary and discard cinnamon stick.
• While sauce simmers, bring remaining 3 cups water with remaining teaspoon salt to a boil in a 3-quart saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add rice and stir once, then reduce heat to low and cook, covered, 20 minutes. Slide pan off heat (do not lift) and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff rice gently with a fork.
• Line a 3-quart shallow serving bowl with a single layer of pita halves (reserve remaining pita to serve alongside), then mound rice on top of bread. Spoon 1/2 cup sauce over rice to moisten and arrange meat over rice. Sprinkle with pine nuts and spoon 1/2 cup sauce over meat, then arrange reserved pita and red onions around edge of bowl. Pour remaining sauce through a sieve into a sauceboat or small bowl and serve on the side.

MANSAF

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the lamb, 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the pot and cook, stirring once or twice, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add the diced onions and stir. Add enough water to cover the lamb and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the lamb is just tender, about 45 minutes.
• When the lamb is close to done, heat the yogurt, lemon juice, egg white and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until combined. Bring to a boil, then add the cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and allspice and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the rice, 3 cups water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit 10 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee in a small skillet. Add the almonds and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the almonds are toasted and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Top with a pinch of salt and remove from the heat.
• Pour the yogurt mixture into the pot with the lamb and stir to combine. Simmer, covered, until the lamb is fully tender and can easily be shredded with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the butter and turmeric. Taste and add salt if necessary. Set aside.
• Spoon the rice onto a large platter. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the lamb on top of the rice. Ladle the broth over the top until the rice looks well saturated (you will not use all the broth). Sprinkle with the almonds and parsley. Pour the remaining broth into a serving bowl and serve alongside the platter. Sprinkle the sliced onions with the sumac and serve on the side to use for scooping.

MANSAAF (SPICED LAMB)

Steps:

• Place lamb in a large pan and just cover with water.
• Bring to boil slowly, skimming off froth (this is blood and wont taste good if left in).
• When clean and boiling, add salt and pepper as desired, cover and simmer about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet, and add snoober nuts, sautéing till golden.
• Remove, keeping butter in the pan as much as possible, and set nuts aside.
• Add onion to pan, frying gently until clear.
• Then stir in turmeric, allspice and cinnamon all at once and cook another 2 minutes only.
• Add onion mixture to the lamb.
• Meanwhile, prepare Laban mutboukh as follows:Place the yogurt in a heavy pan.
• Blend beaten egg whites with cornflour and add salt, stirring into the yogurt until well mixed.
• Place pan over medium heat, and stirring constantly, heat until it begins to boil.
• It's important to stir in the same direction, or so my grandma always said.
• Lower the heat and let simmer, uncovered about 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
• Set aside.
• When lamb as cooked about 1 hour, remove the lid, cooking until the liquid has been reduced so it's covering only half the lamb.
• Then add laban mutboukh, shaking the pan instead of stirring to blend.
• Simmer over low heat until lamb is tender and sauce is thickened.
• If it can't be helped, and sauce must be stirred, do so in one direction.
• Adjust salt and pepper as desired and remove cinnamon.
• Pile the mansaaf on a serving plate, sprinkling with the snoober nuts.
• Serve with hot cooked rice.
• Mansaaf is usually eaten over the rice with the sauce poured generously over the top.

SPICED LAMB LOAF

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Put meat in mixing bowl and set aside.
• Heat oil in saucepan and add onion, celery, green pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring, until vegetables are wilted. Set aside to cool briefly.
• Add cooked vegetables to meat. Add salt, pepper, nutmeg, cumin, Worcestershire sauce, Tabasco sauce, mustard, bread crumbs and egg. Blend well with the fingers.
• Pack mixture into 6-cup loaf pan. Smooth over the top.
• Place pan in oven and bake 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand 10 minutes. Slice and serve.