Name: Lamb Mandi
Prep time: 25 min
Cook time: 2 h
Total time: 2 h 25 min
Cuisine: Saudi (Hadhrami origin)
Ingredients: 1.2 kg lamb, on the bone; 2 tbsp mandi spice mix; 1 onion, quartered; 3 tbsp oil; Salt to taste; 500 g (2½ cups) basmati rice, soaked 30 min; About 1 litre lamb broth; Pinch of saffron in 3 tbsp warm water; 1 cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom, 4 cloves, 1 bay leaf; 1 piece of natural lump charcoal; 1 tbsp ghee; 3 tbsp fried almonds and raisins

Lamb mandi with fall-off-the-bone lamb over smoky saffron rice — Illustrative photo · Photo: Abdulsalam Al Dabbagh · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Lamb mandi is the celebration version of this smoky classic, prized at weddings and large gatherings across the Kingdom. The lamb is spiced simply, slow-cooked until it falls from the bone, and the rice is infused with saffron and the signature charcoal smoke. Elegant and aromatic, it lets the quality of the meat and rice speak.

Servings: 5
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
Total: 2 hours 25 minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Rice: Aged long-grain basmati

Method

Tick a step to mark it done.

Step 1: Rub the lamb with the mandi spices and salt.
Step 2: Simmer (or pressure-cook) the lamb with the onion in water until very tender, about 1½ hours on the stove or 40 minutes under pressure. Reserve about 1 litre of broth; keep the lamb.
Step 3: Roast the lamb at high heat until browned.
Step 4: Cook the drained rice in the measured broth with saffron and whole spices: boil, cover and cook low 15 minutes.
Step 5: Sit the lamb over the rice, add the dukhan (red-hot charcoal drizzled with ghee in a small bowl), seal the pot tightly and leave 5–10 minutes.
Step 6: Remove the charcoal, garnish and serve.

To serve

Serve on a shared platter with sahawiq or daqoos.

Lamb Mandi

Ingredients

Method

More Saudi recipes

Chicken Kabsa

Lamb Kabsa

Chicken Mandi