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Mansaf (Lamb Cooked in Fermented Dried Yoghurt)

Mansaf (Lamb Cooked in Fermented Dried Yoghurt) reads richness 6.9, umami 6.5 and nutty 4.7 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Jordanian main, about 10 hr 53 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

• Umami & Savory — 7.2 / 10
• Sweet & Fruity — 1.7 / 10
• Sour & Bright — 2.7 / 10
• Bitter & Earthy — 2.5 / 10
• Rich & Fat — 8.4 / 10
• Aromatic & Spice — 3.3 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Richness 6.9 · Umami 6.5 · Nutty 4.7 · Salinity 4.4 · Funk & Ferment 3.3 · Allium 2.8 · Sourness 2.7 · Floral 2.6 · Earthy 2.3 · Herbaceous 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.7 · Sweetness 1.4 · Bitterness 1.2 · Fruity 0.7 · Heat 0.5

What's in it (15)

• lamb shoulder roast — 1500 g
• jameed — 500 g
• water — 2000 g
• onion — 120 g
• turmeric — 5 g
• ground cardamom — 10 g
• freshly ground black pepper — 5 g
• salt — 10 g
• ghee — 60 g
• long-grain rice — 500 g
• saffron threads — 3 g
• shrak flatbreads — 300 g
• blanched almonds — 100 g
• pine nuts — 80 g
• flat-leaf parsley — 30 g

Time & effort: about 10 hr 53 min (2 hr 53 min active) · effort: involved

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 145.3 kcal, 8 g protein, 8.7 g fat, 8.7 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains dairy — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (9 steps)

1. Jameed is the dish. It is sheep's milk yoghurt, salted, drained and dried into rock-hard balls, and it tastes sharply sour, salty and faintly barnyard — nothing else does what it does, and a substitute of yoghurt and lemon makes a different, blander dish. Buy it from a Jordanian or Palestinian grocer; the Karak balls are the ones to look for.
2. Break the jameed up and soak it in the 2 litres of water overnight, at least 8 hours. Next day, work it with your hands or blend it into the soaking water until you have a smooth, thin, chalky-white liquid, then strain out any grit.
3. Put the lamb in a pot with the halved onion and cold water to cover, bring to a boil and skim thoroughly for 10 minutes. Drain, rinse the meat and the pot — this first blanch is what keeps the jameed sauce clean and white.
4. Return the lamb to the pot with the jameed liquid, turmeric, cardamom, black pepper and salt. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring constantly in one direction until it comes up to temperature; jameed splits like any yoghurt if it is heated without moving.
5. Simmer very gently, uncovered, for 2 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until the meat is falling apart and the sauce has thickened and turned ivory. Never let it boil hard.
6. Cook the rice: melt 2 tablespoons of the ghee, fry the drained rice 2 minutes, then add 750 ml of water, the saffron and a little of the jameed sauce, bring to a boil, cover and cook 15 minutes on the lowest heat. Rest 10 minutes.
7. Fry the almonds and pine nuts in the remaining ghee for 3 minutes until gold.
8. Assemble on the largest tray you own: lay the thin shrak bread flat, ladle over enough sauce to soak it, spread the rice on top, arrange the lamb over the rice, and scatter with the nuts and parsley. Serve the rest of the sauce hot in jugs to pour at the table. It is eaten standing, with the right hand, from the communal tray.
9. Substitutions: markook flatbreads (300 g) can stand in for the shrak flatbreads.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

• Sticky Sesame Cauliflower and Tofu Stir-Fry — Chinese-American
• Chicken Lettuce Wraps — Chinese-American
• Potstickers (锅贴) — Chinese
• Crispy Sesame Tofu — Chinese-American
• Wild Mushroom and Leek Galette — French

Keep reading: what richness, umami, nutty mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.