Yemeni and Saudi feast · Charcoal smoked
Lamb Mandi Recipe (Yemeni Style, Smoky and Tender)
Fall-apart lamb. Broth-cooked rice. Charcoal smoke.
Recipe by Farwa ZeeshanTested in the NineFoods home kitchenTraditional mandi is cooked in an underground tandoor, with lamb hanging over rice so the dripping fat and smoke flavour every grain. At home you can get close: simmer the lamb in hawaij-spiced broth, cook the rice in that broth, roast the lamb on top of the rice, and finish with a charcoal smoke.
The 3 laws of mandi
Why this recipe works
Rice in plain water
Cook the rice in the lamb's own spiced broth.
Lamb served boiled
Roast the lamb over the rice so juices drip in.
No smoke
A charcoal smoke finish gives the underground tandoor taste.
Shopping and prep list
Ingredients
Lamb and broth
Mandi rice
Smoke and garnish
The NineFoods mandi lamb check
Is the lamb ready to roast?
After simmering, twist a bone. Tap what happens.
Method · 4 stages
Step by step
Simmer the lamb
- Rub the lamb with hawaij and salt.
- Simmer with onion, dried limes and water, covered, until tender. Use the gauge above.
- Lift out the lamb and strain the broth.
Cook the rice in broth
- Fry the sliced onion and whole spices in ghee until golden.
- Add drained rice and 1.25 litres of the broth.
- Boil, then cover and cook on low until the liquid is absorbed. Drizzle saffron.
Roast the lamb on the rice
- Place the lamb on a rack directly over the rice pot or tray.
- Roast until browned so the juices drip into the rice.
Smoke the mandi
- Heat the charcoal until glowing and set it in a small foil cup on the rice.
- Pour ghee over the coal, cover tightly 10 minutes.
- Remove the coal and serve on a large platter with nuts and salsa.
Chef's troubleshooter
What went wrong? Pick the symptom
Why
Simmered too briefly or too hard.
Fix next time
Simmer gently until a bone twists free. Boiling hard tightens the meat.
Why
Cooked in water, not broth.
Fix next time
Always use the lamb broth and taste it for salt first.
Why
Too much broth for the rice.
Fix next time
Use about 1.25 litres broth for 600 g soaked rice.
Why
No charcoal step.
Fix: smoke
Glowing coal on the rice, ghee poured on, covered 10 minutes.
Why
Roasted too long.
Fix next time
Roast 15 to 20 minutes only, just to brown.
Swap smart
Ingredient roles and substitutes
| Ingredient | Job in the dish | Swap with |
|---|---|---|
| Lamb | Traditional mandi meat | Whole chicken pieces, simmer 35 minutes |
| Hawaij | Yemeni spice blend | Equal cumin, black pepper and turmeric with cardamom |
| Dried lime | Sour, earthy note | Zest and juice of 1 lemon |
| Basmati | Long fluffy grains | Sella basmati |
| Charcoal smoke | Tandoor flavour | A few drops of liquid smoke |
After the meal
Serve, store, reheat
Serve with
Sahawiq tomato salsa, yoghurt and a green salad, on one large shared platter.
Store
Fridge 3 days. Freezer 1 month.
Reheat without drying
Sprinkle broth over the rice, cover and warm in the oven at 160°C.
How we tested this recipe
Tested in a home kitchen, not a studio
Recipe developed and tested by Farwa Zeeshan, who cooks and tests every NineFoods recipe on a regular home stove.
- Cooked from start to finish with the exact quantities above for 6 servings, using both the metric and US cup measures.
- Every one of the 4 stages was timed at the stove; heat levels and the 'look for' cues are what we saw in the pan.
- The doneness check (is the lamb ready to roast) and the troubleshooter come from batches that went wrong, and how we fixed them.
- Reheating and storage advice was checked on leftovers, not guessed.
Keep cooking
Related recipes and guides
Quick answers
Lamb mandi FAQ
What is the difference between mandi and kabsa?
Mandi is cooked in a pit or oven with the meat over the rice and has a smoky taste. Kabsa cooks the meat and rice together in a tomato-based spiced pot.
What spices are in mandi?
Mandi uses hawaij, a Yemeni blend of cumin, black pepper, turmeric, cardamom and coriander.
Can I make mandi without a tandoor?
Yes. Simmer the lamb, roast it in the oven over the rice and finish with a charcoal smoke.
Which cut of lamb is best for mandi?
Shoulder or leg on the bone, cut into large pieces.