Mansaf

Mansaf is Jordan's national dish, lamb simmered in a tangy, salty yogurt sauce and served over a bed of rice and flatbread. The ingredient that defines it and makes it hard to replicate outside the region is jameed: hard, sun-dried balls or blocks of fermented, salted sheep's or goat's milk yogurt. Jameed is soaked, blended into a liquid, strained, and cooked down into the sauce that gives mansaf its distinct sourness and body, something regular yogurt can't fully reproduce on its own.

Varieties

Jameed made from goat's milk is sharper and tangier than the cow's milk versions increasingly sold outside the Levant, and liquid jameed sold in jars is a shortcut product that skips the soaking step but has a milder, less concentrated flavor than reconstituting dried blocks yourself.

Buying tips

Look for jameed sold as hard, pale, cream-colored balls or blocks with no dark spots, cracks with mold, or off smell. Middle Eastern and Levantine grocers usually stock it dried in the refrigerated or shelf-stable specialty section, sometimes labeled simply as 'jameed for mansaf.'

Substitutes

• Plain whole-milk yogurt simmered with cornstarch — 1:1 by volume of reconstituted jameed liquid

  Whisk 1 tablespoon cornstarch into 2 cups yogurt before heating to keep it from breaking; simmer 20-30 minutes to concentrate the sourness. Tastes milder and less funky than real jameed.

• Greek yogurt thinned with milk — 1:1 by volume

  Thin thick Greek yogurt with a splash of milk to match the pourable consistency of strained jameed, then simmer to reduce; still lacks jameed's tang, so add a squeeze of lemon.

• Kefir, reduced by half — 2:1 (2 cups raw kefir yields about 1 cup usable sauce base)

  Kefir's natural fermentation gets closer to jameed's sourness than fresh yogurt; simmer gently and stir constantly since it separates easily.

• Canned or jarred liquid jameed (laban jameed) — 1:1

  Sold pre-blended in some Middle Eastern grocers; skip the soaking and straining step and simmer directly with a bit of water to thin.

Storage

Dried jameed blocks are shelf-stable and can be kept in a cool, dry pantry for many months, even up to a year, since the salting and drying process is what preserves them. Once soaked and blended into liquid, refrigerate and use within 2-3 days, or freeze the strained liquid in portions for up to 3 months.

How to use

Break dried jameed into chunks, soak in warm water for several hours or overnight until softened, then blend with the soaking liquid and strain through cheesecloth to remove any solids. Simmer the strained liquid uncovered, stirring often, until it thickens slightly before adding cooked lamb and letting it absorb the sauce. It's also spooned warm over the finished rice and lamb at the table rather than only cooked into the meat.

What it pairs with

Mansaf is traditionally built on shrak or markook flatbread and rice, topped with toasted almonds and pine nuts, and garnished with fresh parsley; the rich, sour sauce pairs well with the fattiness of bone-in lamb shoulder or leg.

Nutrition

Jameed is concentrated in protein and calcium from the fermented sheep or goat milk, and it's notably high in sodium due to the salting used in drying, so mansaf sauce is naturally salty even before extra seasoning.

FAQ

Have mansaf on hand? Find recipes with our Recipe Generator →