Lamb/Mutton Mandi
Mandi, a Yemeni rice dish, is prepared by cooking meat until it delicately separates from the bone, then rice is added to the flavorful broth, resulting in a truly delightful experience.
Servings: 2
Calories: 1175kcal
Equipment
- 1 Instant pot or pressure cooker
Ingredients
- 2 lamb shanks about 2.5 lbs
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 cups water the quantity of water differs depending upon the pot used for cooking
Mandi Masala
- 1 tsp coriander seeds
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 5 green cardamom
- 2 inch cinnamon
Other ingredients for Mandi masala
- 2 tsp salt Adjust it to your taste
- 1/2 tsp turmeric
Ingredients for rice
- 1 small onion thinly sliced
- 1.5 cups long grain basmati rice aged
- 1 tsp salt or to taste
- 2 dried lemon or lime optional
- 3 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup oil remove excess oil after caramelizing the onions, leaving behind only 2 tbsp.
- a few strands of saffron optional
- 3 cups broth (from step 1) add water if you don't have enough leftover broth
Garnish
- 10 sliced almonds optional
- 1/4 cup raisins optional
- caramelized onions from step 1
Instructions
Make Mandi Masala
- Add all of the whole spices listed above for mandi masala to a pan and over medium heat roast for 4-5 minutes or until you see a little bit of color on them.
- Now transfer into a grinder and make a powder. Add turmeric powder and salt in it and mandi masala is ready.
Cook lamb shanks
- Wash and pat dry the lamb shanks. You can also use other cuts of lamb.
- Apply half of the masala to the lamb and reserve the other half for later.
Instant Pot Method for lamb
- Set the Instant Pot to saute mode, add two tbsp of oil, and sear the lamb from all sides. Your goal is to get a little bit of color.
- Add three cups of water and pressure cook for 45 minutes. Release the pressure and separate the lamb shanks and broth.
Regular Pot Method for lamb
- In a regular pot over high heat, add 2 tbsp of oil and sear the lamb from all sides.
- Add water and cook the lamb until it's tender, replenishing the water as needed.
Bloom the saffron
- To bloom saffron, grind a few saffron strands to make powder. Add a few ice cubes and let it sit for 5 minutes.
Caramelize onions and soak rice
- While lamb is cooking, peel and thinly slice onion. Also, wash your rice until water runs clear and soak them for 30 minutes.
- Add oil to a pan and fry onions until light golden brown. Take them out on a paper towel. Use these onions for garnish later.
Cook the rice
- Now leave only 2 tbsp of oil in the pan and a few onion slices, add bay leaves and dried lemons if using.
- Add 3 cups of broth (if you don't have enough broth, then use water, but if you have more broth, then use only 3 cups) and then the soaked rice.
- Add the remaining mandi masala, taste test for salt, and add more according to your taste.
- Cook on high heat until most of the water is evaporated.
- This step is optional but if you are using saffron add a little bit of water to it, mix, and add on top of the rice before steaming it.
- Then cover with foil paper or a kitchen towel and steam for 10-15 minutes.
Smoke the rice (optional)
- This step is optional, take charcoal and heat it on a flame until red hot.
- Once your rice are fully cooked, transfer the cooked lamb shanks to the same pot.
- Add oil to a small bowl and put it in the middle of the rice pot.
- Put the coal in the bowl and cover it with a lid immediately. Uncover after 5 minutes.
Garnish (optional)
- In a separate pan, take 2 tbsp of oil and add sliced almonds and raisins, cook for a few minutes, and take them out on a paper towel.
Plating the mandi
- In a serving dish, add a layer of rice, then lamb shanks, and garnish with caramelized onions, almonds, and raisins.
Video
Notes
- This dish is similar to pulao, except it has a few extra ingredients. Such as dried lemon or lime.
- It's made with lamb shanks or shoulder meat. You can also make it with chicken, but the process will be different.
- If you don't want to make the mandi masala, then you can use garam masala.
- The amount of water differs from pressure cooker to instant pot, and if there is not enough broth left, then add more water to adjust the amount of water for cooking the rice.
- You can also use smaller pieces of lamb, and the cooking time in the Instant Pot for smaller pieces will be 30 minutes.
- If you are using regular basmati rice not aged, then use only 2.5 cups of broth
Nutrition
Calories: 1175kcal | Carbohydrates: 131g | Protein: 51g | Fat: 50g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 10g | Monounsaturated Fat: 31g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 127mg | Sodium: 3667mg | Potassium: 919mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 65IU | Vitamin C: 61mg | Calcium: 160mg | Iron: 7mg