Jordanian Lamb Mansaf

Name: Jordanian Lamb Mansaf
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 2 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8
Cuisine: Middle Eastern

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Mains

This Jordanian Lamb Mansaf is rich, generous and made for sharing. Lamb, jameed sauce and rice finished with toasted almonds.

PREP TIME

20 minutes

COOK TIME

2 hours 30 minutes

SERVES

6-8

About this recipe

Jordanian Lamb Mansaf is one of those dishes that carries weight. It’s not just a meal — it’s a centrepiece. I make this Jordanian Lamb Mansaf when I want something generous, traditional and deeply comforting. It’s a festive dish, often served during Ramadan, celebrations and big family gatherings. And like many Middle Eastern rice dishes, it’s designed to be shared from one large platter.

What makes Jordanian Lamb Mansaf truly special is the jameed. Jameed is a hard, sun-dried yoghurt traditionally made from sheep or goat milk. It’s intensely savoury, tangy and salty, and it’s the backbone of authentic Jordanian Lamb Mansaf. Traditionally, the jameed comes as rock-hard balls. You have to break them apart with something heavy, soak the pieces in water overnight until they soften, then blend them until smooth. Some people blend it with water, others mix in a little yoghurt or kefir, and many strain it to remove any grit so the sauce becomes silky. It’s then simmered with lamb broth to create that creamy sauce that stews the meat.

I use the liquid jameed soup starter because it’s practical and consistent, especially here in Australia where the traditional dried version isn’t always easy to prepare. It saves the soaking and blending process but still gives that deep, savoury flavour that defines Jordanian Lamb Mansaf. The key is getting the consistency right — slightly loose before simmering, because it thickens as it cooks with the lamb. Every family has their own preference, and that’s part of what makes this dish so personal.

If you enjoy generous rice dishes like my Chicken Kabsa — a festive, spiced rice topped with tender chicken and finished with toasted nuts — or my Lebanese Ruz Ajaj, which is a simpler chicken and rice dish made for sharing and layered with flavour and nuts, then you’ll understand why Jordanian Lamb Mansaf sits in the same category. These dishes are built around rice, broth and meat, finished beautifully with nuts, and served to bring people together. That’s exactly what this one does.

Ingredients

4 medium lamb shanks, cut in half
1 brown onion
Salt, to taste
4 bay leaves (2 for boiling, 2 for yoghurt sauce)
2 whole star anise
5 whole peppercorns
4 whole cardamom pods (2 for boiling, 2 for yoghurt sauce)
Water, to cover lamb
4 cups (1 litre) plain yoghurt
2 cups liquid jameed (soup starter)
4–5 cups reserved lamb broth (for yoghurt sauce)
6–7 cups lamb broth, sieved and reserved
4 tablespoons ghee (2 tablespoons for the sauce, 1 tablespoon for the rice)
2 cups jasmine rice
¼ teaspoon turmeric
2 cups lamb broth
⅓ cup shaved almonds
Markouk (mar-cook) thin saj bread

Notes from Rouba

If you prefer a stronger jameed flavour, reduce the yoghurt slightly and increase the jameed.
Don’t rush the boiling stage — the broth is the backbone of the whole dish.
I always taste the sauce before serving and adjust the salt at the very end.
Toast the almonds until just golden — they can turn quickly.

Method

Step 1. Boil the Lamb

Place the lamb shanks into a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and season with salt. Add 2 bay leaves, the star anise, peppercorns and 2 cardamom pods. Cover completely with water and bring to a boil. Skim off any foam or fat from the top, then cover and continue boiling for about 2 hours, or until the meat is cooked through. Sieve and reserve at least 6–7 cups of the broth before moving to the next step.

Step 2. Prepare the Jameed Yoghurt Sauce

In a separate pot, combine the plain yoghurt and liquid jameed and season with salt. Use a hand blender directly in the pot to blend until completely smooth. Gradually add 4–5 cups of the hot lamb broth, blending as you go, until the sauce is slightly runny, as it will thicken while simmering. Add the cooked lamb into the yoghurt mixture along with 2 tablespoons of ghee and the remaining cardamom pods. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered until the lamb is tender and the sauce thickens slightly.

Step 3. Cook the Rice

Place the jasmine rice in a pot with the turmeric and salt. Pour over 2 cups of lamb broth. Add 1 tablespoon of ghee in small dollops over the top. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook on very low heat for 15–20 minutes, or until the rice is cooked and the liquid has absorbed. Let it rest briefly before fluffing.

Step 4. Assemble the Mansaf

Lay the markouk thin saj bread over a large serving platter — if you can find it. Markouk can be hard to track down depending on where you live, and honestly, I couldn't get my hands on it either, which is exactly what you'll see in my photo. Don't let that stop you. Spoon a little yoghurt sauce over the bread (or directly onto the platter), then spread the rice evenly on top. Arrange the lamb over the rice and spoon a small amount of yoghurt sauce over the top. Finish with toasted shaved almonds — either dry toasted in a pan or lightly fried in olive oil or ghee until golden — and serve the remaining yoghurt sauce on the side so everyone can add more as they eat.

A FEW THINGS YOU’LL WANT TO KNOW

Can I use other cuts of lamb?
Yes. You can use any cut of lamb — bone-in pieces or even chunky diced lamb both work well. Just keep the pieces a nice size so they don’t fall apart in the sauce. That said, bone-in cuts will always give the broth a deeper, richer flavour.

Can I omit some of the aromatics?
Absolutely. If you don’t like star anise or cardamom, you can reduce or remove them. The dish will still work beautifully.

What’s the difference between liquid jameed and traditional jameed?
Traditional jameed is dried and needs to be cracked, soaked overnight and blended before using. The liquid soup starter is simply a convenient, ready-to-use version. It saves time while still giving you that authentic tang.

How thick should the sauce be?
It should look slightly runny before simmering, because it thickens as it cooks with the lamb. Some families prefer it thicker, others thinner — it’s very personal.

Can I make it ahead?
Yes. In fact, the flavour deepens. Just reheat gently and loosen the sauce with a little extra broth if needed.

What does the meat taste like?
It’s not your usual lamb flavour. Because the lamb cooks in jameed, the meat takes on a strong, tangy, salty flavour. And when I say tangy, I mean properly tangy — it’s bold and unmistakable. It’s not subtle like a squeeze of lemon. It’s deeper, fermented and savoury. For some people, it’s love at first bite. For others, it’s a flavour you grow into. That intense tang is exactly what makes Jordanian Lamb Mansaf so unique and traditional.

Can I cook the meat directly in the yoghurt and jameed?
Yes, some people do. They wash the meat, sometimes coat it lightly in yoghurt, then add it straight into the jameed and yoghurt mixture and let it cook there until tender. That method works, and you still get beautiful flavour because the meat cooks slowly in the sauce.
I personally prefer boiling the lamb first. It gives me more control over the thickness of the yoghurt sauce, and I like having the broth to use instead of water. Some people break their jameed with water, whereas in this recipe I use the lamb broth, which adds another layer of flavour. At the end of the day, there are many ways to make mansaf — this is simply the way I feel most comfortable with.

Do I need the bread for the dish to work?
Not at all. The bread is traditional and adds a lovely softness as it absorbs the juices from the lamb and sauce, but this dish is completely delicious without it. I made mine without and it was perfect.

Where can I find markouk bread?
Your best bet is a Lebanese or Middle Eastern grocery store. Some larger supermarkets in areas with a big Middle Eastern community stock it too — usually in the fresh or frozen bread section.