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the best mansaf recipe

The Best Jordanian Mansaf Recipe!

This authentic Jordanian Mansaf recipe is enough for my family of 4, with a little bit leftover for the next day if someone wants some lunch. If you have a bigger family, or want a big mansaf to serve to guests, simply double my recipe!
Here are my simple steps for making delicious mansaf at home! If you want more details, read inside my post above this recipe card.
5 from 2 votes
Prep Time 12 hours
Cook Time 50 minutes
Total Time 12 hours 50 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Arabic, Jordanian, Middle Eastern
Servings 4 people
Calories 300 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
  

For the meat broth

  • 6 pieces bone in lamb shoulder and leg are best
  • 1 tablespoon high quality ghee
  • 1 lg yellow onion
  • 1 tablespoon mansaf spice
  • Pinch turmeric powder
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 6 cardamom pods, crushed
  • water to cover meat, about 6-8 cups
  • 1 tablespoon salt, to taste

For the Jameed (yogurt soup)

  • 1 ball dried jameed
  • 32 ounces plain kefir use organic if you can find it
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • Pinch turmeric powder
  • 2 cups strained meat broth, to preference

For the rice

  • 1 tbsp ghee
  • 1 cup basmati rice
  • 1 cup jasmine rice
  • Pinch turmeric powder
  • 4 cups strained meat broth from cooking the lamb in

To serve

  • shrak/ markook flat bread
  • pickles
  • olives
  • toasted almonds & pine nuts

Instructions
 

  • The night before you start, make sure to take 1 ball of jameed out of the freezer. Cover it in water to soak and soften overnight.
    1 ball dried jameed
    mansaf jameed in water

How to make the lamb broth

  • Add lamb to an instant pot or pressure cooker along with 1 tablespoon ghee, 1 quartered yellow onion, 1 heaping tablespoon ground mansaf spice blend, pinch of ground turmeric powder, 6 crushed cardamom pods, 3 bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt (or to the taste you like).
    6 pieces bone in lamb, 1 tablespoon high quality ghee, 1 lg yellow onion, 1 tablespoon mansaf spice, Pinch turmeric powder, 3 bay leaves, 6 cardamom pods, crushed, 1 tablespoon salt, to taste
    mansaf lamb with spices before cooking
  • Cover lamb completely with water (I use about 7 cups of water). Set pressure cooker to natural release (sealing) and pressure cook for 25 minutes.
    After 25 minutes you can release the steam to check your lamb. Your lamb should feel buttery between your fingers and easily fall off the bone. If it does not do this, pressure cook at additional 5 minutes until you achieve this perfect texture.
    water to cover meat, about 6-8 cups
    how to cook mansaf lamb in a pressure cooker

How to make jameed soup

  • Add the soaked jameed along with the soaking water to a large blender along with the 32 ounce jug of plain kefir. Blend on high for 5 minutes to achieve a perfect silky texture.
    32 ounces plain kefir
    blending jameed for mansaf recipe
  • Strain the jameed through a fine mesh strainer into a large pot.
    strain jameed for mansaf recipe
  • Sprinkle jameed with a little bit of tumeric for the signature yellow jameed soup color. Add 1 tablespoon ghee. Add 2 cups of strained meat broth. If you want lighter (thinner) or heavier (thicker) mansaf jameed soup, use more or less cooking broth. We like ours medium so I use 2 cups of broth.
    Stir jameed and keep on a low heat until the rice is finished cooking. Don't let it boil!
    1 tablespoon ghee, Pinch turmeric powder, 2 cups strained meat broth, to preference
    heating jameed soup for mansaf recipe

How to make mansaf rice

  • For mansaf, use a mix of jasmine and basmati rice for a fluffy texture that also sticks together if you want to eat the mansaf rice with your hands.
    rice to use for mansaf
  • In a pot, add 2 cups of jasmine and basmati mixed rice, 1 tablespoon ghee, a sprinkle of turmeric, and 4 cups of strained broth.
    Stir the rice into the broth once, cover with a tight fitting lid, and put on high heat. Once you see the water boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook 10-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed.
    Remove the mansaf rice from the heat and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes before removing the lid and serving.
    1 tablespoon ghee, 1 cup basmati rice, 1 cup jasmine rice, Pinch turmeric powder, 4 cups strained meat broth
    how to make mansaf rice
  • How to Assemble Authentic Jordanian Mansaf:
    On a large serving platter, assemble ripped up bite sized pieces of shrak bread. Drizzle with a scoop of jameed.
    Fluff the rice and scoop it evenly over all the bread. Drizzle with another scoop of jameed.
    Assemble cooked lamb on top (I keep mine warm in the instant pot until I'm ready to serve it).
    Drizzle each piece of lamb with jameed.
    Sprinkle toasted nuts and finely minced fresh parsley.
    Finally, serve your beautiful mansaf recipe family style in the middle of the table along with an extra bowl of jameed soup, a plate of toasted nuts, and pickles or olives to snack on.
    Sahtein!
    shrak/ markook flat bread, pickles, olives, toasted almonds & pine nuts
    Authentic Jordanian Mansaf recipe

Notes

Nutrition facts for any recipe on the hint of rosemary are only an estimate and not guaranteed.

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving mansafCalories: 300kcalCarbohydrates: 22gProtein: 20gFat: 22g
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