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Mansaf holds a significant role at Jordan’s social and cultural gatherings. It serves as a symbol of identity and unity, transcending differences in religious, familial or tribal affiliation. Widely regarded as a unifying element in society, mansaf is prepared with utmost respect for guests, reflecting the warm hospitality of the host. Whether in joyful celebrations, times of sorrow, or important events, mansaf takes center stage, symbolizing the generosity of Jordanians.
Ingredients
•Large pieces of lamb
• Jameed (plain yogurt)
• Spices: Cardamom, cinnamon, allspice, bay leaves, cloves
• Traditional Arabic ghee
• Lemon juice
• Medium-grained rice
Preparation
1. Cook the lamb in a pressure cooker with water and spices until tender.
2. Mix softened jameed with lamb stock in a separate pot.
3. Transfer the jameed mixture to a new pot and add the cooked lamb and broth.
4. In another pot, cook the rice with olive oil, ghee, and water, adding a turmeric water mixture for color.
5. Serve mansaf by layering special Arabic bread (margoog), rice and meat, then pouring jameed sauce over the top.
Chicken Dum Biryani
By Mohamed Hasan
If you ask anyone which country is famous for biryani, the response you get is: “Of course India!” But the fact is that this dish originated from Persia. Biryani is a delicious rice dish made with spices and meat, fish, eggs or veggies. If you are planning to attend any Muslim wedding in South India, you will never miss your biryani there. It is authentically cooked by South Indian Muslims, who serve it as a main course at all their celebrations.
Ingredients
• 1 kg chicken (without skin to help absorb the spices)
•1 kg rice (basmati or seeraga samba) washed and soaked for 45 mins
•400 grams of sliced onions (6 medium-sized approx)
•300 grams of sliced tomatoes (4 medium-sized approx)
•200ml oil (preferably groundnut oil for a rich taste)
•3 medium-sized cinnamon sticks
•10 cardamom pods
•8 cloves
•1 bundle of coriander and mint leaves (chopped)
•100g ginger + 50g garlic (ground to a paste)
•4 chillies
•200ml yoghurt
•2 tbsp chilli powder (preferably Kashmiri chilli for color)
•1 teaspoon garam masala
•2 tbsp salt (as per your taste)
•1.3 liters of water
•Half lemon
•2 tbsp ghee (optional)
To prepare this dish you will need a 5-liter vessel with tight lid and a wooden spoon (1 foot)
Preparation
1. Keep the vessel on a burner on medium flame.
2. Pour oil in the vessel and once it is hot enough add the onions. Fry the onions until it turns fully brown.
3. Add half the bundle of chopped coriander and mint leaves and fry until it cooks well. At this stage put the cinnamon, cardamom and cloves and mix it gently.
4. After a minute, add chilli powder and mix it well until you see the color of the oil changes to red.
5. Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir well until the color of the paste changes.
6. Add chopped tomatoes, yoghurt and chillies and mix well. Now close the lid and leave it for 2 minutes.
7. Once you see the oil separating from the mixture, add chicken and stir well and keep the lid closed for 5 minutes.
8. Now stir it again and close the lid so as to avoid sticky texture.
9. When you see the water has totally come out from the chicken and the color of the chicken has changed to white, pour the water and add salt and turn the flame high for 10 minutes with the lid closed.
10. Open the lid and see if the water is boiling well. At this stage, add garam masala and stir it with the flame still high.
11. Strain the soaked rice and add it to the boiling masala mixture and lightly mix it with a wooden spoon to avoid breaking the rice.
12. Close the lid and leave it for about 7-10 minutes with the flame still high.
13. When you see the water and rice coming to the same level with 60-percent cooked texture, lower the flame to the minimum.
14. Using the wooden spoon mix the rice and chicken gently, squeeze lemon and add the remaining chopped coriander and mint leaves.
15. Add ghee (optional) if required at this stage and keep the lid tightly closed so as not to let any heat escape. Leave it for exactly 20 minutes on low flame.
16. Now mix it gently without breaking the rice and put off the burner. Make sure to keep the lid closed after mixing and let it rest for 10 minutes for all the flavors to be absorbed. Now your delicious biryani is ready to eat.
Serving
While serving the biryani, start from any side of the vessel and work your way through downwards without disturbing the rest of the biryani. It is best served with raita (mixture of curd, onions, cucumbers) to give it an added authentic taste.
Fattoush
By Ghadeer Ghloum
Fattoush is a famous Lebanese salad, derived from the word “fat” which means crumbs of bread. Fattoush is my favorite salad because it is nutritious and has a sharp taste due to its noticeable acidity and sweetness from the pomegranate. I enjoy adding extra pomegranate to the fattoush to make the taste tangier and sweeter, and also extra fried bread crumbs that are placed on top of the fattoush to make it crunchy. Traditionally, fried bread is added as a simple addition to the rest of the ingredients, but for me, I add breadcrumbs with every scoop of fattoush, making it the main part of the salad instead of just an addition.
I learned how to make fattoush from my mother as she always includes it in our menu. Sometimes, I am satisfied with just fattoush as a meal! I love preparing and photographing fattoush as much as I love eating it because it contains numerous ingredients and colors, which makes it visually appealing on the plate and has a variety of flavors.
Ingredients
Salad
•Parsley
•Mint
•Spring onions
•Lettuce
•Purslane
•Cucumber
•Tomatoes
•Lots and lots of pomegranates!
Fried bread cut into small squares (you can bake the bread if you are on a diet, but I wouldn’t recommend that)
Dressing
•Fresh lemon juice
•Olive oil
•Salt
Some people also add extra ingredients such as: balsamic vinegar, sumac and pomegranate molasses.
How to make it
1. Chop the vegetables into similarly-sized pieces and mix the dressing.
2. Pour the dressing over the vegetables.
3. Place the fried bread on top, right before serving so that it doesn’t get soggy and gives you a delicious crunch.
4. Enjoy!
