Mandi is a Yemeni dish of spiced meat and rice. The meat is cooked until it is falling apart, the rice soaks up its broth, and the whole thing carries a light smoky flavour. It has spread from Yemen across the Arabian Peninsula and into South Asia, and it is always served on one big platter to share.
Mandi at a glance
- Mandi comes from Yemen and is now eaten across the Middle East and South Asia
- The name is often linked to nada, the Arabic word for dew, for the moist, tender meat
- Traditionally the meat hangs in a sealed pit oven called a tannour, above the rice, for hours
- It is made with lamb, goat, camel or chicken, seasoned with a spice mix called hawaij
- It is served on a large platter with a sauce and salad on the side
What is mandi?
Mandi is meat and rice cooked so that one flavours the other. The meat is simmered with whole spices until tender, then roasted or smoked, and the rice is cooked in the meat’s own broth. The spicing is fragrant rather than hot, and the smoke is what people remember.
How mandi is traditionally cooked
In Yemen, mandi is cooked in a tannour, a pit oven dug into the ground. Wood is burned down to charcoal, the rice goes in a pot at the bottom, and the meat is hung above it without touching the coals. The oven is then sealed, sometimes with clay, and left for hours. The juices from the meat drip onto the rice and the smoke flavours both.
How to make mandi at home
You don’t need a pit oven. Aamna gets the same result with a pot, an oven and a single piece of charcoal.
- Simmer the meat. Cook it with whole spices, mandi spice and dried lemon until tender, and keep the broth.
- Glaze and roast. Brush the meat with saffron and roast it at 200°C until the outside crisps.
- Cook the rice in the broth. Soaked basmati goes into the spiced stock so every grain carries the flavour.
- Add the smoke. Heat a piece of charcoal until it glows, set it in a small metal bowl on the rice, add a few drops of oil and cover for 5 minutes.
Chicken mandi or lamb mandi?
| Chicken mandi | Lamb mandi | |
|---|---|---|
| Meat | Chicken halves | A whole lamb shoulder |
| Cooking | Simmered with whole spices and dried lemon, glazed with saffron and roasted | Simmered for two hours, glazed with saffron and roasted until crisp |
| Sauce | Green sauce of tomato, onion, garlic, green chillies, coriander and lemon | Yoghurt sauce with coriander, carrot, onion, green chillies and garlic |
| Best for | A family meal | A big gathering |
Tender Yemeni Chicken Mandi
Yemeni chicken mandi: spiced chicken halves with a smoky flavour, served over fragrant rice.
Roasted Lamb Shoulder Mandi
Roasted spiced lamb shoulder served on fragrant mandi rice with a cooling yoghurt sauce. A feast for sharing.
Start with Aamna’s chicken mandi recipe for a weeknight, or her lamb shoulder mandi when there are people to feed.
Mandi or biryani?
Both are spiced meat and rice, but they are made differently. In a mandi the meat is cooked separately and the rice is cooked in its broth, so the flavour is gentle and smoky. In a biryani, a spiced masala is layered with part-cooked rice and steamed together, so it is richer and more heavily spiced. If biryani is what you are after, see our biryani recipes.
What to serve with mandi
Mandi is a meal in itself. Serve it on one big tray with the sauce on the side, a fresh salad, and fried onions and toasted cashews scattered over the rice.
Mandi FAQs
What does mandi mean?
The name is usually linked to nada, the Arabic word for dew, describing the moist texture of the meat.
Is mandi spicy?
Not really. It is fragrant and warm from whole spices. Any heat comes from the green chillies in the sauce.
What is mandi spice?
A blend of warm spices often sold as mandi spice or hawaij in Middle Eastern shops. It usually includes spices such as cumin, black pepper, cardamom and turmeric.
Can I make mandi without a special oven?
Yes. Simmer and roast the meat in your oven, cook the rice in the broth, and use a hot coal in a small bowl for the smoke.
What is dried lemon?
Also called dried lime or loomi, it is a whole citrus fruit dried until hard. It gives mandi a sour, slightly earthy taste.
