Mansaaf (spiced Lamb)

Total Time: 2 hrs 20 mins Preparation Time: 20 mins Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 3 lbs lamb shoulder, on the bone cut into 6 even sized pieces (this is preferred but if you can't get it, 6 large pieces of lamb will do)
• water
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 cup clarified butter
• 1/4 cup pine nuts (optional)
• 1 large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 piece cinnamon or 1 piece cassia
• 2 cups full fat yogurt (skim and fat free wont work, they'll come out too thin)
• 1 egg , beaten till frothy
• 2 teaspoons cornflour
• 1 teaspoon salt

Recipe

• 1 place lamb in a large pan and just cover with water.
• 2 bring to boil slowly, skimming off froth (this is blood and wont taste good if left in).
• 3 when clean and boiling, add salt and pepper as desired, cover and simmer about 30 minutes.
• 4 meanwhile, heat butter in a skillet, and add snoober nuts, sautéing till golden.
• 5 remove, keeping butter in the pan as much as possible, and set nuts aside.
• 6 add onion to pan, frying gently until clear.
• 7 then stir in turmeric, allspice and cinnamon all at once and cook another 2 minutes only.
• 8 add onion mixture to the lamb.
• 9 meanwhile, prepare laban mutboukh as follows:place the yogurt in a heavy pan.
• 10 blend beaten egg whites with cornflour and add salt, stirring into the yogurt until well mixed.
• 11 place pan over medium heat, and stirring constantly, heat until it begins to boil.
• 12 it's important to stir in the same direction, or so my grandma always said.
• 13 lower the heat and let simmer, uncovered about 3-5 minutes or until thickened.
• 14 set aside.
• 15 when lamb as cooked about 1 hour, remove the lid, cooking until the liquid has been reduced so it's covering only half the lamb.
• 16 then add laban mutboukh, shaking the pan instead of stirring to blend.
• 17 simmer over low heat until lamb is tender and sauce is thickened.
• 18 if it can't be helped, and sauce must be stirred, do so in one direction.
• 19 adjust salt and pepper as desired and remove cinnamon.
• 20 pile the mansaaf on a serving plate, sprinkling with the snoober nuts.
• 21 serve with hot cooked rice.
• 22 mansaaf is usually eaten over the rice with the sauce poured generously over the top.