Craving a big Gulf-style lamb and rice feast, but don’t own a mandi pot? This easy lamb mandi is for you! Fluffy, spiced basmati rice cooks at the same time as tender, pull-apart lamb shoulder, soaking up all of the juices as it goes. One pot, a handful of simple spices, and your oven does the rest.
It’s simple, just a little bit exotic, and plenty delicious. No veggies in sight either, which makes it very popular with my kids! If you love Gulf rice dishes, you’ll also want to try my chicken kabsa and chicken machboos.
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What makes this a great Every Little Crumb recipe:
- No special pot needed: a regular oven-safe pot and some foil do the job of a traditional mandi pot.
- One pot: the rice and lamb cook together, at the same time.
- Simple spices: just cumin, coriander, salt and pepper on the lamb, and whole spices in the rice.
- Hands-off: about 5 minutes of prep, then the oven does all the work.
- So much flavor: the lamb juices season the rice, so you barely need to season it at all.
- Kid-approved: just rice and meat, which my kids love!
What is lamb mandi?
Mandi is a very traditional dish, made very simply of rice and meat (usually lamb or chicken). It’s cooked in a way that lets the juices from the meat drip down into the rice, which gives the rice SO much flavor.
Traditionally, it’s smoked in a special tandoor-style oven, a pit dug in the ground and covered with clay. You can also buy special mandi pots: nesting pots where the top layer has holes in it for the meat, and the bottom layer holds the rice and catches all the lamb juices. They look something like this. I obviously didn’t make this the traditional way, but I kept the idea of the rice cooking in the juices of the meat.
Ingredients you need:
You’ll find a lot of different versions of mandi out there, some with very long and exotic spice lists. I kept this super simple, and it worked.
- Rice: long grain basmati rice, soaked and rinsed.
- Whole spices for the rice: cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and bay leaves.
- Dried lemon (loomi): optional, if you have it.
- Olive oil: to drizzle over the rice.
- Lamb shoulder: bone-in and trimmed of fat. We’ve tried this with lamb thigh too, but preferred the shoulder, which turned out more tender.
- Spices for the lamb: cumin and coriander, salt and pepper. That’s it!
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make lamb mandi:
- Step 1: Heat the oven to 220°C.
- Step 2: Add the rice, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves and dried lemon (if using) to a large oven-safe pot. Drizzle the olive oil over the rice, then pour the water on top.
- Step 3: Cover the pot tightly with foil, twisting and creasing it around the edges for a tight seal. This is your homemade mandi pot!
- Step 4: Stab holes evenly all over the foil with a skewer, so the lamb juices can drip through into the rice.
- Step 5: Season the lamb shoulder all over with the salt, pepper, cumin and coriander, and massage the spices into the meat.
- Step 6: Place the lamb on top of the foil covering the rice. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the lamb, then cover tightly with more foil, so you have a foil-wrapped parcel of lamb sitting on top of the foil-covered pot of rice.
- Step 7: Cook for 3 hours, until the lamb is cooked through and pulls easily off the bone with a fork.
- Step 8: Remove the foil and lift off the lamb, then fluff the rice. Spoon the rice onto a serving platter and top with the lamb.
Hint: To check the lamb is done, carefully open a corner of the top foil and pull the meat with a fork. It should come away from the bone easily. If it’s still holding on, seal it back up and give it another 20 to 30 minutes.
Pro Tip
Make sure the foil is sealed REALLY tightly around the pot and around the lamb. The tighter the seal, the more steam and lamb juices stay inside to cook and flavor the rice.
How to serve:
Serve the lamb on top of the rice on a big platter, garnished with toasted nuts and raisins and fresh herbs.
I LOVE toasted nuts. If you’ve been following me for any length of time, you’ll know how much I put them on everything! (Like my pasta with yogurt sauce, basil pesto chicken pasta and easy spanakopita.)
I like to top my mandi with toasted pine nuts, slivered almonds and golden raisins, which caramelise in the pan and add a tiny hint of smoky sweetness. You’ll find the full method for toasting the pine nuts and raisins in my chicken kabsa post. Fresh coriander or parsley adds a pop of colour.
On the side, I like a simple green salad and some yogurt with dried mint, or a yogurt salad with cucumbers like the one in this recipe. Warm flatbread is also great for scooping up all those juices.
Recipe variations:
- Lamb thigh: works instead of shoulder, though we found the shoulder more tender.
- Chicken madhbi: for a similar chicken and rice dish, try this easy chicken madhbi.
- Herbs: use coriander, parsley or both for the garnish.
Storing Leftovers:
- Fridge: let the leftovers cool, then store the rice and lamb in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Try to get them into the fridge within 2 hours of cooking.
- Reheat: warm the rice and lamb in the microwave or in a covered pan over low heat with a splash of water, so the rice doesn’t dry out, until piping hot all the way through.
- Freezing: freeze in airtight containers or freezer bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then reheat as above.
Expert tips and tricks:
- Use bone-in lamb shoulder for the most tender, pull-apart meat.
- Soak and rinse the rice before it goes into the pot.
- Poke the holes evenly across the foil so the juices drip all over the rice, not just in one spot.
- Don’t fluff the rice too early. Wait until you’ve taken the foil off and lifted out the lamb.
Top Tip
Add a dried lemon (loomi) to the rice if you can find one. It’s optional, but it adds a lovely, tangy depth that’s so classic in Gulf rice dishes.
Recipe FAQs:
Lamb mandi is a traditional rice and meat dish from the Arabian Peninsula, loved all over the Gulf. The meat is cooked above the rice so all of its juices drip down and flavor the rice as it cooks.
Traditionally, mandi is smoked in a special tandoor-style oven: a pit dug in the ground and covered with clay. Kabsa is usually cooked more simply, with the rice and protein cooked separately, but it’s often a little more elaborate in its spices and toppings.
Nope! Cover a regular oven-safe pot of rice tightly with foil, poke holes in it with a skewer, and cook the lamb on top. The juices drip through the holes into the rice, just like a mandi pot.
Bone-in lamb shoulder. We’ve tried this with lamb thigh too, but the shoulder came out more tender.
After 3 hours, open a corner of the top foil and pull the lamb with a fork. It should come away from the bone easily. If it doesn’t, seal it back up and keep cooking.
If you liked this recipe, you might like:
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing:
These go great with lamb mandi:
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Lamb Mandi
Equipment
- Large oven-safe pot
- Aluminum foil
- Skewer
- Parchment paper
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 tablespoon olive oil
- 4.5 cups water
- 1.5 kg lamb shoulder with bone, trimmed of fat
- salt to season
- pepper to season
- 1 teaspoon cumin powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander powder
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 220°C.
- Add the rice, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, bay leaves and dried lemon (if using) to a large oven-safe pot. Drizzle the olive oil over the rice, then pour the water on top.
- Cover the pot tightly with foil, creasing the edges of the foil around the pot for a tight seal. Stab holes evenly all over the foil with a skewer.
- Season the lamb shoulder all over with the salt, pepper, cumin and coriander, and massage the spices into the meat.
- Place the lamb on top of the foil covering the rice. Lay a piece of parchment paper over the lamb, then cover tightly with more foil, so you have a foil-wrapped parcel of lamb sitting on top of the foil-covered pot of rice.
- Cook for 3 hours, until the lamb is cooked through and pulls easily off the bone with a fork. If it doesn’t, seal the foil back up and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes.
- Remove the foil and lift off the lamb, then fluff the rice. Spoon the rice onto a serving platter and top with the lamb. Garnish with toasted nuts and raisins, and fresh coriander or parsley if desired.
Notes
- Bone-in lamb shoulder gives the most tender, pull-apart result. Lamb thigh works too, but is less tender.
- The dried lemon (loomi) is optional.
- Soak and rinse the basmati rice before it goes into the pot.
- Seal the foil tightly around the pot and around the lamb so the steam and juices stay inside.
- Poke the holes evenly across the foil so the juices drip all over the rice.
- Only fluff the rice after you’ve removed the foil and lifted off the lamb.
- Store the rice and lamb in airtight containers in the fridge for 3 to 4 days.
- Reheat in the microwave or a covered pan with a splash of water until piping hot.
- Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating.
Farook says
Will definitely try out, feels yummy by the method itself… I have a fire brick oven hope that would work out.. 😊
Farah Abumaizar says
Please let me know what you think!! Excited for you
Mohammed says
I love your recipe but I am having a problem. My lower coil of oven doesn’t work so can I make this using just the heat from the upper coil?
Farah Abumaizar says
I honestly haven’t tried it without having heat from up and down, I do think heat from the top is more important so the lamb browns so it could work!! Try and let me know? Hehe
Cyrus Valete says
Tried recipe today …. followed recipe step by step. Unfortunately the cooking temp and rice to water ratio seemed off. The rice had “tahdig” crust but middle rice was mushy. :-/
Flavor was nice, but more like porridge.
(Used lamb shank btw)
Did I do something wrong??
Farah Abumaizar says
Hi! I’ve never had a problem with the rice being mushy before- did you use basmati rice? Did you rinse the rice until water runs clear? Honestly not sure why that happened with you haven’t gotten that comment before! Not sure if using lamb shanks could affect this dish but I don’t see that being a problem
Ron says
That’s what has me puzzled. I always cook basmati rice on the stovetop with the usual 20 minute time and then rest for 10 minutes and always works out great. I can’t imagine having the rice in the oven for 3 hours and not get mushy. Will have to try this though. What I am thinking is that usually basmati is a 1 to 2 ratio. 1 cup of basmati rice to 2 cups of whatever liquid you choose. So, by using a 1 to 1.5 ratio, this prevents it from getting mushy since the excess needed liquid comes from the meat/fat from above?
Ron
Farah Abumaizar says
Could be yes! I know most stovetop recipes do call for that extra 0.5 cup of water to each cup of rice , this does great with a 1 to 1.5 ratio
Farah Fuad says
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.
Farah Abumaizar says
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 !
RAbecca K Shelton says
Hello,
To confirm: Your instructions say 220c which is close to 425 degrees Fahrenheit, yes?
Thank you for your consideration,
RAbecca
Farah Abumaizar says
Hi!! Yes indeed. You can also go as low as 400!
RAbecca says
Thank you!
I’m getting started now.
Farah Abumaizar says
Let me know!!
sabera says
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.
Sabera says
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.
Farah Abumaizar says
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
QJ says
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?
Farah Abumaizar says
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 !)
Kushigalu says
Deooling over pics. Such a flavorful recipe. I will have to try this soon.
Farah Abumaizar says
Thanks so much! Hope you enjoy it
Bintu | Recipes From A Pantry says
This sounds like such a flavourful and delicious dish! I love that it is a one pot meal!
Farah Abumaizar says
Truly easy, and delicious! Thanks Bintu!
Angela Allison says
Your recipes are always so delicious, including this one! Love all of the spices you used here. Thanks for sharing.
Farah Abumaizar says
Aw thanks you so much Angela!
Paula Montenegro says
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.
Farah Abumaizar says
It’s my pleasure and thanks so much Paula!
Dannii says
This looks amazing. We are always looking for new ways to eat lamb.
Farah Abumaizar says
It’s an easy and interesting way for sure!