Some time ago, I told my sister that my husband asked some people over for mansaf. She asked, “Mansaf? What is that? A dish? A holiday?” I can say a bit of both. It is definitely an occasion when you make or are invited for mansaf. So I thought I would illustrate it through photos.
Skimmin' the scum, as long as there's some - a clear broth is a tasty broth!
Simmerin' the meat, four hours on low heat - lamb on the bone simmered til mistawee (soft)
Gratin' the jameed, a smooth texture we need - Jameed is basically dried yogurt balls.
Losin' count of the steps that it takes for food prep - soak the rice, soak the jameed, fry the pine nuts and almonds
Strainin' the broth and cleanin' the lamb will make your guests' tastebuds happy as a clam - This is really the difference between great mansaf and mansaf.
Two pots for rice should hopefully suffice - there WILL be leftovers, on that you can be sure, but presentation is everything, less is definitely not more. The short grained rice is cooked with salt, a little oil, and turmeric to make them think you put that fatty semneh (clarified butter), and the lamb broth.
Layerin' it on a silver platter so your guests can all get fatter! - The rice is layered over very thin bread and covered with a smidgen of broth that has been cooked with jameed. next comes the lamb pieces, the fried pine nuts and almonds and more of the jameed.
After fulfillin' their stomachs' wishes, all that's left is the dishes.
Cleanin' up after mansaf, soap is not enough. You need lemons to get out that lamby smellin' stuff.
When it comes to eatin' mansaf, you gotta eat it with your hands. it's what separates the womans from the mans. - Rod eating his first mensaf when he was just two
This Limerick Called Life 
Allah yatik alafia! Alhamdulillah my husband is Syrian! They don’t touch the stuff. Never made it, never hope to. Sorry to say, the Syrians seem to love stuffed intestines best. I don’t suppose my husband will ever beg me to do it though. Alhamdulillah. Best to eat that at his mother’s house. I can’t imagine the smell after cleaning the intestines good. Ahem! Sahtain!
Lovely illustration and presentation Joyce! Great finish with a cute picture of your son! You have a great way of telling the mansaf story… btw, I’m assuming you made the mansaf graphic? It’s really cute!
The Graphic is from the Mansef Appreciation Society, of which I am a charter member (see Facebook). Great job, Joyce. I love how you pull the wool over their eyes with turmeric. I do it, too.
So this is how you make it :-)..Everyone always tells me it takes forever. However, i love it and miss it. 🙂
Yum, yum. Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe.
mansaf maniac