History of the Jordanian Mansaf
Ask any Jordanian what food to try when you visit Jordan and you are very likely to hear “mansaf” as the best answer or if you search for food pictures you will find Jordanian mansaf pictures in the foreground
There is a certain Jordanian pride and importance that goes along with Jordanian mansaf – and once you have tasted mansaf and experienced a communal meal of it, you will know why.
Jordanian Mansaf is a food deeply rooted in Jordanian culture and when you take your first bite of it you will truly taste the fullness of it
Mansaf History
Historically, food is the most defining characteristic of human societies. Jordanian Mansaf is a reputed cultural icon, in addition to being the most popular food in all Jordanian regions. It represents the national identity of all individuals, groups and societies in the Jordanian country
Mansaf is the main Eid meal served on all major occasions and celebrations and when visiting guests. Preparing and eating Mansaf creates order, security and a sense of identity. It is a rite of solidarity expressing collective identity, morals and values in Jordan. Mansaf is served on any occasion and special holidays such as weddings and births. In addition to honoring guests and celebrating major religious holidays
A national taste from Jordan (Mansaf)
Jordanian mansaf is a wonderful harmony of local local lamb, rice, nuts and traditional Jordanian mansaf milk Being a Jordanian national dish, Jordanian mansaf is an enticing event more than just a meal so don't leave the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan without a feast together and mention mansaf to any Jordanian and you will get right away On the invitation of dinner, plus a long and detailed conversation about cooking methods at your fingertips! Like other national dishes, everyone has their own opinion of exactly what it should be, and he will ensure that his mother/aunt knows the right way to make it.
The traditions of eating Jordanian mansaf
Your guests will share a large Mansaf platter that you have made, have them pull the meat off the bone and dig into the laban rice and your guest will be engrossed in the great joy of a real Jordanian eating with his hands without using spoons, have them squeeze the mixture into a ball and put it in the mouth like flipping a coin or a ball Small rolling in midair, our sons will assist you when necessary and will continue to pour Jordanian mansaf laban - a gesture of our generosity and hospitality Traditionally served at weddings, and celebrating Eid at the end of Ramadan, it is always prepared to serve guests (so much so that a number of recipes you come across will indicate portions according to the number of sheep required), and assembled on giant plates with traps on a base resembling the surface of the moon, topped with rice and meat and garnished with nuts as stars in the sky
Although I have kept the traditional rendering in this recipe, I have substituted one of the important traditional ingredients – jordanian jameed, the dried fermented balls of goat yoghurt that are usually rehydrated to form the basis of the mansaf sauce for cooking.
The problem is not only the difficulty of finding balls of Jordanian mansaf jameed in non-Arab countries close to the Jordanian state, even here in the Middle East, but also, and it is fair to say, that it is an acquired taste for the traveling Bedouins, the ability to make and preserve the milk for Jordanian mansaf. This way is undoubtedly invaluable, but for those of us who have access to the freshest stuff from the supermarket, not having to ferment may be seen as quite important. lucky thing
Jordanian Mansaf Ingredients
(A quantity of Jordanian mansaf is enough for six people)
2.5 Gross Weight Lamb Chops (shoulder with bone) - Have the butcher cut the lamb shoulder into 6 roughly equal sized pieces.
Half a teaspoon of ground turmeric
Half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon
Half a teaspoon of whole cloves
Half a teaspoon of cumin seeds
2 teaspoons of cardamom pods
2 tablespoons allspice seasoning
500 ml natural yogurt
Almost. ½ cup light olive oil زيت
200 gm onion - peeled
3 bay leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sliced almonds
100 grams of pine nuts
100 grams of parsley - finely chopped
for rice
3 cups medium grain rice
Half a teaspoon of ground turmeric
4½ cups water
4 slices of shrak (thin Arabic bread)
Jordanian mansaf spices
It is a mixture that includes allspice, cinnamon, coriander, cloves and cardamom (among others) and can be found in supermarkets in Jordan or the Middle East.
Lamb needs to marinate for over an hour, so start this dish before the time you intend to serve
To make the lamb seasoning, break up the cardamom pods, one at a time, scraping the seeds into a mortar and pestle, discarding the empty pods. Add cumin seeds and cloves to a mortar and grind to a fine powder
In a large bowl, mix together the ground spices from the mortar, ground turmeric, cinnamon, and allspice powder. Add 200ml of yogurt to the spices, along with the juice of one lemon, some salt, and a big grind of black pepper
How to cook Jordanian mansaf
Mix with a spoon to mix the ingredients of the spices, before inserting the lamb shoulder and shanks into the bowl. Flip each piece to coat it well in salt water, before removing it into a large bowl
Before the meat is left to slow cook, it must be closed over high heat. To do this, heat 3 tablespoons of light olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan, and place it over high heat on the stove top.
When the oil is hot, quickly fry the lamb chops, in small batches, flipping with metal tongs until toasted on all sides. It will only take a few minutes in the pan to properly seal each piece of lamb
After that, add 500 ml of water in the marinade container, to mix as much of it as possible with the water, and then pour the pieces into a saucepan until it reaches the stage of cooking and the time varies according to the type and age of the lamb
Cooking Mansaf milk with Jordanian Karaki Jameed
Put a kilo of yogurt inside the blender and mix for three minutes with Jameed Jordanian mansaf to become homogeneous or inside a plastic bag and shake it by hand if the blender is not available and then put it in a pot on a medium heat and stir continuously until it reaches the boiling point with the addition of Cardamom pods and Mansaf spices
How to cook Jordanian Mansaf rice
Soak the amount of rice you want to cook Jordanian mansaf in in warm water for a quarter of an hour, preferably from the Egyptian type, and then wash it to remove the starch from it.
Put it on the fire with half the amount of water and a little salt and a quarter of a tablespoon of safflower to give it a color close to yellow and a little oil and stir it three to four times until it reaches the level of traditionally and in the Jordanian tradition, the head of the cooked lamb will be placed in the middle Present it to the most important guests of the event.
Mansaf is served on a large plate over rice and shrak, garnished with almonds and pine nuts
Mansaf is eaten collectively by guests, with the right hand, while the left hand is placed behind their back as a traditional typeنوع
The host should cover the rice with constantly cooked mansaf jameed, so that the guests do not complain about the lack of hospitality. Mansaf is also important in resolving disputes between tribes or families. When the chiefs of each tribe visit each other, they sacrifice a lamb to cook an authentic Jordanian mansaf, then they present it as a work of peace and respect. , and eat it together as a way of joy and their occasions
Jordanian mansaf with a bowl mansaf jordanian
The famous meal is easy to prepare in any Jordanian kitchen as a meal or a cup
Mansaf in Kassa restaurant is easy, the meal is easy to prepare, and its famous presence in Amman is now any small restaurant or popular kitchen that serves Mansaf in a bowl, which is a cup of rice with a small piece of meat or chicken from the top covered with a thin piece of traps with specifications conforming to the conditions of the General Organization for Food and Drug
You can make Jordanian mansaf with meat and Jordanian mansaf with chicken also with the same ingredients mentioned in this article and serve it as a quick Jordanian mansaf meal (Jordanian mansaf sidr)
The Jordanian Mansaf is an example of the customs and traditions that exist in every Jordanian. Usually, Mansaf is cooked every week on Friday specifically, and the modification of Mansaf recipes is very difficult because of its inheritance from the old time.
The method of making Jordanian mansaf differs from the way of making Syrian mansaf slightly, as the method of cooking Jordanian mansaf using rice and the Syrian one uses bulgur (crushed wheat). In one of the competitions, the largest Jordanian mansaf was prepared with a diameter of 30 m to be distributed after the competition was completed in the Guinness Book of World Records in The biggest blaster in the world
Mansaf with a cup with lamb or chicken and a little milk has become the talk of every Jordanian and his favorite request in any restaurant in Jordan, whether it is a small or large restaurant and the most important daily dishes or frequent dishes