Mandi
Yemen's most famous dish: lamb slow-cooked over saffron-and-spice rice, finished with a piece of glowing charcoal sealed under foil for smoke.
Overview
Lamb shoulder is rubbed with a Yemeni spice mix (hawaij), browned, then steam-roasted at low heat for two hours until it shreds. The cooking juices are strained off; long-grain rice cooks in them with saffron, raisins and a bay-and-cardamom aromatic mix. The cooked lamb is laid on top of the rice; a piece of glowing charcoal is placed in a small heatproof bowl on top of the rice, drizzled with oil, and the whole thing is covered tight for 5 minutes to absorb the smoke. Lift, serve.
Ingredients
Lamb
- 1 ½ kg lamb shoulder (bone-in, cut into 4 large pieces)
- 2 tablespoons hawaij spice mix (see below) OR 1 teaspoon each ground cumin, coriander, black pepper, turmeric and cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon ground cardamom
- 6 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 tablespoon salt
- 1 lemon (juice)
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Rice
- 500 g long-grain basmati rice (rinsed thoroughly)
- 1 large pinch saffron threads
- 4 tablespoons hot water (for the saffron)
- 2 onions (thinly sliced)
- 4 tablespoons ghee (or vegetable oil)
- 4 cardamom pods (bruised)
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 4 cloves
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 60 g raisins (optional)
- 40 g flaked almonds (optional)
Smoking (optional but iconic)
- 1 small piece natural-lump hardwood charcoal (about 3 cm)
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
Method
Stage 1 - Marinate
- Mix the hawaij, cardamom, garlic, salt, lemon juice and oil to a paste.
- Rub all over the lamb. Refrigerate 4 hours if you can; if not, give it 30 minutes at room temperature.
Stage 2 - Brown the lamb
- Heat a wide heavy lidded pot over medium-high.
- Brown the lamb hard on all sides, 4-5 minutes per side. Set aside.
Stage 3 - Steam-roast the lamb
- Wipe the pot; add 1 litre of hot water; place a steaming rack inside (or use foil scrunched into a nest).
- Return the lamb on top of the rack.
- Cover tightly with foil and the lid; cook on the lowest hob heat (or 150°C oven) 2 hours, until the meat shreds when prodded.
- Lift the lamb out and rest it on a plate; strain the liquid in the pot - this is your rice cooking stock. Skim the surface fat; you should have 800-900 ml; top up with hot water if needed.
Stage 4 - Rice
- Bloom the saffron in the hot water.
- In a separate wide pot, heat the ghee or oil. Fry the sliced onions 10 minutes until deep gold.
- Lift half the onions out and set aside as garnish.
- Add cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and bay; fry 30 seconds.
- Add the rinsed rice; toast 1 minute.
- Pour in the strained lamb stock (800 ml); add the saffron and water; check salt.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat to lowest; cover; cook 15 minutes.
Stage 5 - Combine and smoke
- After 15 minutes, lay the lamb pieces on top of the rice.
- Scatter raisins and almonds.
- Place the small heatproof dish on top of the rice. Heat the charcoal piece directly over a gas flame until red-glowing (5 minutes); place in the dish.
- Drizzle the oil on the charcoal; immediately cover the pot tight; leave 5 minutes.
- Remove the charcoal dish carefully.
Stage 6 - Serve
- Tip the rice onto a wide platter; lay the lamb on top; scatter the reserved fried onions.
- Serve with sahawiq, yogurt and lemon wedges.
Notes
- Hawaij: A Yemeni spice mix. Buy ready-made at a Middle Eastern shop, or use the substitution in the ingredient list - it's a passable approximation.
- Smoking is optional: The charcoal step (called "tedkhin") is signature but skippable. The flavour is otherwise complete; this just adds smoke.
- Real mandi: Cooked in a taboon (clay oven) buried in the ground or in coals. The home version (pot-steamed) gets surprisingly close.
Storage
- Refrigerate 3 days; reheat covered with a splash of water.
- Freezes 2 months.
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