• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

 logo

  • Recipes
    • Breakfast
    • Sides
    • Soup
    • Main Meals
    • Healthy
    • Dessert
    • Drinks
  • Eating Out
  • About Me
    • Privacy Policy
  • Resources
    • Must Have Kitchen Tools
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest

Easy Lamb Mandi

Jan 23, 2020 · 17 Comments

Jump to Recipe
Lamb mandi on top of rice with toasted nut with cucumber yogurt and utensils

A traditional, and very easy, one pot spiced rice dish lamb popular in the Gulf area of the Middle East. This is probably the easiest preparation you’ll see of lamb Mandi, and it gives you great results- fluffy rice cooked at the same time as tender pull apart lamb shoulder, simple, just a little bit exotic and plenty delicious!

What is Lamb Mandi?

A very traditional dish, consisting very simply of rice and meat. No veggies in sight- making this very popular with my kids! Mandi is a preparation of lamb (or chicken) and rice, specifically where the method of cooking ensures that the juices of the cooking meat drip into the rice. Because of this, you barely need to season the rice, it gets so much flavor from the delicious meat.

What’s the difference between Mandi and Kabsa?

Technically, Mandi is usually cooked by being smoked in a special tandoori oven (an actual pit dug in the ground, covered with clay). I obviously didn’t make this recipe in a traditional manner, but I retained the concept of having the rice cook in the juices of the meat.

Kabsa is usually cooked more simply, with the rice and protein cooking separately, but is often a little more elaborate in its spices and accompaniments. I have a great recipe for chicken kabsa on this site!

The ingredients in Mandi:

You’ll find a lot of different preparations and ingredients, some with very lengthy and exotic spice lists. I kept this super simple, and it worked.

Rice: long grain basmati rice

Spices for the rice: cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves, salt

Olive Oil: to drizzle the rice with

Lamb: We’ve tried this with lamb thigh and shoulder, but preferred the shoulder, finding it more tender.

Spices for the lamb: Kept it so simple. Cumin and coriander, salt and pepper. That’s it!

How to cook an easy Lamb Mandi?

In order to accomplish the mechanism in which the juices of the meat can reach the rice while the rice and lamb cook together, there are special pots they sell called Mandi pots. Basically, a form of nesting pots, where the top nesting layer has holes cut into the pan (where the meat is placed to cook), and the bottom layer is where you cook the rice, where it’ll catch all the lamb juices. It looks something like this.

Did I use a Mandi pot? Nope! I made my own. You just take a regular oven safe pot (after placing your rice mixture in it) and place a tight layer of foil over it, twisting the aluminum foil around the edges of the pot. I included a very low resolution video for your help:

After the foil is placed on top, I stab holes in it with a skewer. There! A Mandi pots!

How to garnish Mandi:

I LOVE toasted nuts. If you’ve been a follower for any length of time, you’ll know how much . (Eg, Macarona Billaban, Basil Pesto Chicken Pasta , Easy Spanokopita.)

I like to top my mandi with toasted pine nuts and almond slivers, and toasted golden raisins that become caramelised and add a tiny hint of smoky sweetness to the dish. The full method on toasting pine nuts and raisins can be found in this post.

Lamb mandi on top of rice with toasted nuts

Fresh herbs add a pop of colour, feel free to use coriander or parsley.

What to serve Lamb Mandi with:

I like a simple green salad, as well as yogurt with dried mint. You can also make a yogurt salad with cucumbers, like the one in this recipe.

Lamb Mandi

Farah Abumaizar
An easy one pot recipe of rice and lamb, where the rice gets cooked at the same time as the meat, and collects all the juice from the meat. Simply spiced, traditional and delicious!
5 from 4 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 3 hrs
Course Main Course
Cuisine Middle Eastern
Servings 6 people
Calories 741 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups long grain basmati rice, soaked and rinsed
  • 1 cinnamon stick
  • 3 whole cardamom pods
  • 1-2 bay leaves
  • 1 dried lemon (lumee) if you have it
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 4.5 cups water
  • 1.5 kg lamb shoulder with bone, trimmed of fat
  • salt to season
  • pepper to season
  • 1 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 220 C.
  • To a large, oven safe pot, add the rice, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves, and dried lemon if using. Drizzle the olive oil on top of the rice in the pot. Pour water on top of the rice.
  • Cover the pan tightly with foil, creasing the eges of the foil around the pan to ensure a tight fit, and stab the foil evenly with a skewer to get a distribution of holes in the foil.
  • Season the lamb shoulder all over with salt, pepper, cumin powder and coriander, and massage the spices into the meat. Place the spiced meat on top of the foil covering the rice. Place a piece of parchment paper over the meat, then cover tightly with more aluminum foil so you have a foil wrapped parcel of lamb on top of the foil covered pot of rice.
  • Cook for 3 hours, or until the lamb is cooked through and pulls easily off the bone with a fork. Fluff the rice, place on a serving platter, and serve with the lamb on top of the rice, garnished with toasted nuts and raisins, and fresh coriander and parsley if desired.
Keyword lamb, middle eastern

If you liked this recipe, you might like:

Chicken Kabsa

Middle Eastern Stuffed Zucchini

Bamia- Middle Eastern Okra and Meat Stew

Did you make this? Tag @everylittlecrumb or hashtag #everylittlecrumb and I’ll share your images!

Main Meals, Recipes

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dannii says

    January 26, 2020 at 10:58 am

    This looks amazing. We are always looking for new ways to eat lamb.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      January 26, 2020 at 10:58 am

      It’s an easy and interesting way for sure!

      Reply
  2. Paula Montenegro says

    January 26, 2020 at 1:36 pm

    5 stars
    A beautiful dish! I love lamb but don’t make it often. This is the type of post that makes me want to get into the kitchen right now and have this ready for dinner! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      January 26, 2020 at 1:41 pm

      It’s my pleasure and thanks so much Paula!

      Reply
  3. Angela Allison says

    January 26, 2020 at 3:47 pm

    5 stars
    Your recipes are always so delicious, including this one! Love all of the spices you used here. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      January 26, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Aw thanks you so much Angela!

      Reply
  4. Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says

    January 26, 2020 at 3:58 pm

    5 stars
    This sounds like such a flavourful and delicious dish! I love that it is a one pot meal!

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      January 26, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Truly easy, and delicious! Thanks Bintu!

      Reply
  5. Kushigalu says

    January 26, 2020 at 4:49 pm

    5 stars
    Deooling over pics. Such a flavorful recipe. I will have to try this soon.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      January 26, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy it

      Reply
  6. QJ says

    May 29, 2020 at 6:20 am

    Thank you for this! Looks awesome.

    Quick question on the the portion of rice and water – how many cups of water for 3 cups of rice? And the rice is completely uncooked, right?

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      May 29, 2020 at 7:58 am

      Easy and delicious! You’ll need enough water to cover the rice by about an 1/2 an inch to an inch- so that works out to 4.5 cups of water to 3 cups of uncooked basmati rice (yup, uncooked !)

      Reply
  7. Sabera says

    July 2, 2020 at 1:31 am

    I never prepared it before but wanted to give it a try in conventional oven. I have few questions, am scared or over cooking the rice and drying of meat for 3 hrs in oven. Will that even happen? Please let me know.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      July 3, 2020 at 4:19 pm

      The very bottom of the rice might crisp up, bit don’t worry the top will be fluffy and delicious ! And the lamb won’t burn at the temperatures indicated, it should taste great! Do let me know if you try this and thanks for the comment

      Reply
  8. sabera says

    July 2, 2020 at 2:54 am

    Your recipe is very simple and looks delicious, thanks for posting. I have a question about the oven. Have ypu used conventional? I am scared of over cooking the rice and drying up the meat as it is for 3 hrs on 220 heat. Please suggest what to do if that happens.

    Reply
  9. Farah Fuad says

    August 14, 2020 at 5:24 am

    Hi Farah. This looks absolutely delicious. My mom loves chicken Mandi and I was wondering would the spices remain the same? Can I cook the rice in a rice cooker instead? Thank you.

    Reply
    • Farah Abumaizar says

      August 14, 2020 at 11:02 am

      Hi Farah! The spices can definitely remain the same, but I do suggest cooking the chicken on top of the rice in the same method so that the juice of the chicken flavors the rice! Let me know how it turns out !

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Get more stuff

Subscribe to our mailing list and get interesting stuff and updates to your email inbox.

Thank you for subscribing.

Something went wrong.

we respect your privacy and take protecting it seriously

FeedFeed

Featured Recipes

Sayadieh

Arabic Grills

Heaven Bars

Egyptian Goulash

Pink Hummus

More

Footer

everylittlecrumb

Farah Abu Maizar | Food Lover
It’s #nationalchocolatecakeday ! And nothing cel It’s #nationalchocolatecakeday ! And nothing celebrates it like this ginormous slice of chocolate cake from @parkers , aptly named the Matilda cake. It’s insanely decadent and sweet, too much for many people but I loved this- in really small bites! I love these obscure food holidays lol, any excuse right?
.
.
.
.
.

#chocolatecake #magnoliabakery #cakestagram #cakephotos #layercake #chocolate #ganache #foodblog #instayum #yummy #bakery #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #slice #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish
Had so much fun shooting @trio_rest_cafe_ last wee Had so much fun shooting @trio_rest_cafe_ last week for their upcoming limited edition collection in honor of national croissant day! This weekend you can get a variety of ice cream stuffed croissants and trust me when I say you don’t want to miss out. Layla says the berry and vanilla ice cream croissant is one of the best treats she’s ever had, while I was happy to claim the kunafa croissant with homemade rosewater ice cream. I said I’d have just a bite but finished the entire thing in a matter of seconds🤐. Swipe to see all the flavors and tell me which you would most like to try!
.
.
.
.
.

#chocolatecake #magnoliabakery #cakestagram #cakephotos #layercake #chocolate #ganache #foodblog #instayum #yummy #bakery #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #slice #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish #croissant #dripshot #nationalcroissantday #kunafa
I always thought sayadieh would be the most diffic I always thought sayadieh would be the most difficult dish ever, but I found a way to make it easy and still just as incredible. This Lebanese style rice and fish is delicious- fragrant rice, seasoned flaky fish, plenty of warm spices and caramelized onions. This weeks recipe for @tamimimarkets - they have plenty of rice and oil deals on! Must save and must make 😍👌🏼 check their story later today for step by step 

Ingredients:
For the rice:
1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
3-4 onions thinly sliced
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
1.5 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup water
1 heaped tbsp tomato paste
Additional 3 cups water
2 cups of basmati rice, soaked and rinsed

For the fish:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
800g white fish fillet, like hammour cut into 4-6 pieces
1 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp paprika powder
big pinch salt and pepper

To garnish:
Toasted almond slivers
Chopped parsley

Method:
For the rice:
-Heat the oil for the rice in a large pot over medium high heat, then add the sliced onions. Cook, stirring occasionally until onions have caramelized into a deep golden brown.
-Remove the onions from the pot, and reserve a big handful for garnishing the rice. Place the remaining caramelized onions in a blender, add 1 cup of water, the spices for rice, and the tomato paste and blend until a thick sauce forms.
-Add this sauce to the same saucepan you used to cook the onions, along with 3 additional cups of water, and the basmati rice. The liquid should cover the rice by about 1/2 inch or so. Bring to a boil, then cover with a tightly fitting lid and cook for 15-20 minutes on low heat until all the water has been absorbed. Set rice aside for 10-15 minutes without removing the lid to steam, and meanwhile, cook the fish.
For the fish:
-Heat the oil for the fish in a large skillet. Mix together the spices for the fish fillets and sprinkle both sides evenly with the spice mixture. When oil is hot, add the fish to the skillet and cook for a few minutes a side or until white and flaky and cooked through.
Assemble:
Place all the rice in a serving platter and top with the fish, the reserved caramelized onions, toasted nuts and parsley! Enjoy!!
It’s national peanut butter day! And peanut butt It’s national peanut butter day! And peanut butter stars in what has got to be my favorite energy ball yet. A handful of ingredients and all you need to do is stir them together and you have chewy peanut butter oat bites stuffed with chocolate chips. All the deliciousness, none of the guilt! Swipe to see what the final product looks like. I love the way the ground flaxseed adds a cake like texture to these, makes them really feel like a dessert! Step by step in story, send this to someone on a diet that would appreciate this😂💪🏼

Ingredients :
-2/3 cup creamy peanut butter
-1 cup old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup ground flax seeds (1/4 cup flaxseeds ground up in a small food processor or spice blender)
-2-3 tbsp sweetened shredded coconut (optional)
2-3 tablespoons honey
Handful semi sweet chocolate chips

Method:
Combine all 5 ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir to combine. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes so they are easier to roll.

Roll into 12-14 balls and store in fridge for up to one week. Enjoy!

#chocolatecake #magnoliabakery #cakestagram #cakephotos #layercake #chocolate #ganache #foodblog #instayum #yummy #bakery #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #slice #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish #nationalpeanutbutterday #peanutbutter #oats #energyballs #chocolatechip #healthysnack
So my weekend was pretty good, how about yours? 😍 Mansaf courtesy of my mother in law. Can’t get enough of this dish! I always put as many toasted nuts as I can. I know jameed can be quite decisive- how about you, love or hate?
.
.
.
.
.
 #middleeasternfood #weekend #platter #rice #beautifulcuisines #lebanese #ganache #foodblog #instayum #yummy #bakery #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #slice #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish #foodforthought #mansaf #jordanian #palestinian #lebanese
Loved @tosto.ksa ! Great outdoor kiosk concept wit Loved @tosto.ksa ! Great outdoor kiosk concept with plenty of seating that offers simple sandwiches and French toast options given to you in a convenient take away sliding box. Portions are relatively small but prices are fair and the actual taste is great! The truffled eggs brioche is delicious. Buttery fluffy bread, soft creamy scrambled eggs and truffle sauce with just enough truffle flavor to enhance without overpowering. The Nutella French toast is also a winner! Cinnamon scented with some biscuit crumbs on top. The ice cream was completely melted though, could have done without it. I want to try their caramel French toast but of course Layla overruled me and went with Nutella. She approved too!
.
.
.
.
.

#chocolatecake #magnoliabakery #cakestagram #cakephotos #layercake #chocolate #ganache #foodblog #instayum #yummy #bakery #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #slice #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish #croissant #croissants #cafe #pastry #almonds #frenchtoast #berries #nutella #truffle #brioche #scrambledeggs
Just posted the recipe for the chicken and lamb sk Just posted the recipe for the chicken and lamb skewers on the blog! You’ll also find a recipe for Kafta skewers there- save this post or head to https://everylittlecrumb.com/arabic-grills/ linked in bio for all the recipes. Nothing like good old fashioned juicy skewers with a little bit of char to set the weekend mood 😍 And I know you’ll love this recipe!
.
.
.
.
.

#delish #shishtaouk #shishtaouk #skewers #bbqporn #chocolate #chickenrecipes #foodblog #instayum #yummy #winter #foodporn #foodtographyschool #foodphotography #grill #delish #foodfluffer #damnthatsdelish #kafta #kebab #hummus #grills #bbq #lebanesefood #middleeasternfood #lamb #redmeat #pitabread
Fluffy, soft and moist, this old fashioned orange Fluffy, soft and moist, this old fashioned orange cake is another @mrsclueless recipe that exceeded all my expectations. So yum! The only thing I did differently was work the orange zest into the sugar and add a tiny splash of orange blossom because I had a bottle just begging to be used. If you are living under a rock and not following @mrsclueless already, go now! Reposted her recipe below:

INGREDIENTS:
 
4 eggs, room temperature and separated (yolk from white)
1 1/2 cups sugar 300 g
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1-2 tsp orange blossom water
zest of 2 oranges
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/2 cup room temperature butter 113 g
2.5 cups all purpose flour 312 g
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup fresh orange juice

INSTRUCTIONS:
 
Preheat oven to 350 F (180C) and prepare your cake pan by lightly greasing and lining with parchment paper or flouring. I used a 9 inch springform pan, you can also use a bundt cake.
Using your fingertips, work the orange zest into the sugar until the sugar has moistened and turned fragrant and changed into a pale yellow/orange color.
In the bowl of a mixer fitted with paddle or whisk attachment, mix the egg yolks, orange zest scented sugar, vanilla, and orange blossom water on medium high speed for 2-3 minutes or until pale yellow and fluffy.
Add the oil and the butter and mix until well combined.
Add the flour and baking powder and mix until just combined, then add the juice and mix until combined.

In a separate bowl (either with a handheld mixer, or transfer the cake batter to another bowl and thoroughly wash and dry the mixer bowl) use an electric whisk to whisk the egg whites on medium high speed for 2-4 minutes until they form peaks that hold their shape.
Fold the egg whites into the cake batter with a rubber spatula, I like to do this in three additions. Take care not to deflate the egg whites.
Pour batter into prepared cake pan and bake for 50-60 minutes or until skewer inserted in the center comes out clean. If the outside of the cake is browning too rapidly and the inside still isn't cook, cover loosely with foil for the remainder of the baking time. Start checking at 40 minutes, every oven is different.
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2019 on the Seasoned Pro Theme