Chicken Mansaf Recipes

AUTHENTIC CHICKEN MADRAS

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large nonstick pan over medium heat. Add cloves and cardamom pods and wait until they sizzle, about 1 minute. Add onions and fry until dark brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add chile peppers, ginger, and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add ground chile pepper, turmeric, cumin, coriander, and salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until blended in, about 1 minute more.
• Stir chicken and water into the pan with the spice mixture. Cook, while stirring, until water is incorporated, 2 to 3 minutes. Add tomato puree and nutmeg and cover the pan with a lid. Cook until chicken is tender over medium heat, about 20 minutes. When ready to serve, sprinkle with garam masala and cilantro.

CHICKEN MANSAF

Steps:

• Place chicken in large pot with enough salted water to barely cover it.
• Cook over medium heat until almost done, about 3/4 hour.
• In a separate pan, cook enough rice for 6 large servings.
• In a large saucepan, stir yogurt until it is quite smooth. Add beaten egg and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly.
• Add enough of the liquid from the cooked chicken to make a thin sauce, about the consistency of very heavy cream.
• Heat until it almost comes to a boil and thickens slightly.
• Add the cooked chicken pieces to the yogurt sauce and finish cooking the chicken in the sauce, at a low temperature.
• Cover a large platter with the pita bread.
• Mound the rice in the center to form a pyramid.
• Arrange the chicken pieces on the rice and pour most of the yogurt sauce over it, reserving the remaining sauce to be added, as desired, by the diners.
• Garnish with the almonds, pine nuts and parsley around the edges of the mound of rice and chicken.
• Serve warm and eat with your hands.
• Helpful Hints: May also be made with lamb instead of, or in combination with chicken. Broth from cooking the meat may be used to cook the rice.

AL MANSAF

Steps:

• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat 3 tablespoons ghee over medium. Add onion, cardamom, bay leaf, cinnamon, clove, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft and translucent, about 10 minutes. Add chicken and cook until lightly browned in spots, about 5 minutes. Add 3 1/2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
• Transfer chicken to a cutting board and remove meat from bones; set aside. Strain cooking liquid and discard solids. Return strained cooking liquid to pot.
• Whisk together 1 1/2 cups yogurt and cornstarch. Add to pot along with chicken, stirring to combine. Bring to a simmer and cook until chicken is very tender and liquid has reduced and thickened to a sauce-like consistency, about 35 minutes. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup yogurt and lemon juice. Remove from heat and let cool. Shred chicken into bite-sized pieces.
• Meanwhile, make the rice: In a medium saucepan, heat remaining 2 tablespoons ghee over medium. Add rice, turmeric, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring, until rice is lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook until liquid is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes, then stir in cilantro.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. To assemble, brush two 6-cup jumbo nonstick muffin tins with ghee. Place one spring roll wrapper on work surface and lightly brush with melted ghee. (Keep remaining wrappers covered with plastic wrap while you work.) Place a second wrapper on top, overlapping by 3 1/2 inches, to form a rectangle. Transfer to muffin tin, pressing into one of the cups. Fill with about 1/3 cup rice, followed by 1/3 cup chicken mixture, and 1 tablespoon cashews. Bring edges of wrappers up and press together in an irregular pattern to seal. Brush lightly with more melted ghee. Repeat process with remaining wrappers, rice, chicken, and cashews. Bake until golden brown, 20 to 25 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Use an offset spatula to transfer pies to a serving platter. Sprinkle with pistachios before serving.

MANSAF

Steps:

• Season lamb or chicken thighs with salt and pepper. In a large skillet brown the lamb or chicken in hot olive oil; remove, reserving oil. Add onion to the reserved oil in the skillet; cook until tender but not brown, adding more oil if necessary. Drain off the fat. Return the meat to the skillet; add the 1/2 cup of water and the stick cinnamon. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a saucepan combine the 1 cup water, uncooked rice, raisins, salt, turmeric, allspice, and pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. Let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
• For the sauce: In a saucepan stir together the yogurt, milk, parsley, and flour. Cook and stir till thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more.
• To serve, drain the meat mixture; transfer to a serving platter. Remove the stick cinnamon and discard. Stir the nuts into the rice mixture and arrange the rice mixture around the meat. Pour some of the yogurt sauce over the top. Pass the remaining sauce around the table.

MANSAF

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup ghee in a large heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the lamb, 1 tablespoon salt and a few grinds of black pepper to the pot and cook, stirring once or twice, until well browned on all sides, 6 to 7 minutes.
• Add the diced onions and stir. Add enough water to cover the lamb and onions and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook until the lamb is just tender, about 45 minutes.
• When the lamb is close to done, heat the yogurt, lemon juice, egg white and a pinch of salt and black pepper in a medium saucepan over medium heat, whisking until combined. Bring to a boil, then add the cumin, cardamom, coriander, cinnamon and allspice and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, whisking frequently, until thickened slightly, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring the rice, 3 cups water and a pinch of salt to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn the heat off and let sit 10 minutes.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons ghee in a small skillet. Add the almonds and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the almonds are toasted and golden, 4 to 5 minutes. Top with a pinch of salt and remove from the heat.
• Pour the yogurt mixture into the pot with the lamb and stir to combine. Simmer, covered, until the lamb is fully tender and can easily be shredded with a fork, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the butter and turmeric. Taste and add salt if necessary. Set aside.
• Spoon the rice onto a large platter. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the lamb on top of the rice. Ladle the broth over the top until the rice looks well saturated (you will not use all the broth). Sprinkle with the almonds and parsley. Pour the remaining broth into a serving bowl and serve alongside the platter. Sprinkle the sliced onions with the sumac and serve on the side to use for scooping.