Jordanian Mansaf

Considered by many to be the national dish of Jordan, this dish incorporates the essence of a simple style of eating where its key ingredients, nuts, meat, rice and yoghurt are readily available to the pastoral culture of the country.  Mansaf is laid out in the dish to be eaten in true Bengali style with your hands, in the same dish, to encourage sharing and spread the love food that binds us all!
Ingredients
1 kg lamb meat cut into 1 inch cubes
¼ cup 'deshi' ghee
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cups hung yoghurt
4-5 tomatoes peeled
Meat stock 2 cups
1 egg white
½ tsp coriander powder
2 tsp cumin
½ tsp paprika or red chilli powder
½ tsp cardamom
½ tsp cinnamon
½ tsp cloves
1 tsp nutmeg
½ cup blanched almonds
½ cup pine nuts or walnuts
4 -6 loaves pita bread
3 cups basmati rice cooked in the meat stock
Parsley or coriander for garnish
2 tbsp olive oil
Method
Boil some tomatoes in water and in this tomato-ey mix, immerse the washed meat cubes and place in refrigerator for 4-8 hours. In a heavy skillet, melt half the ghee and add the dried meat cubes. Cook for 20 minutes until browned on all sides. Season meat with salt and pepper, to taste, and add enough water to cover meat. At reduced heat cover and cook for 1 hour. Add onions and simmer uncovered for 30 minutes.
While meat and onion are cooking, place yoghurt in a large saucepan and whisk over medium heat until liquid. Whisk in egg white and ½ teaspoon of salt. Slowly bring yoghurt mixture to boil stirring constantly with a wooden spoon in one direction until desired consistency is reached. Reduce heat and add the rest of the spices to the yoghurt mix and let it simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes.
Stir yoghurt into meat and simmer it for 15-20 minutes until the spices have been infused. In the remaining ghee, fry almonds and pine nuts.
Rice
Cook the basmati rice in the lamb meat stock. Boil lamb meat with garlic, a pinch of star anise, salt and pepper to prepare the stock. Add 2 tbsp of olive oil while cooking the rice.
Split the pita bread open and arrange, overlapping on a large serving tray. Arrange rice over the bread leaving a well in the centre of the rice. Spoon the meat into the rice well and then spoon the nuts over the meat. Sprinkle parsley or chives over top.
Health focus
Hung yoghurt like all normal yoghurt offers a great source of bacteria that prevent stomach infections and stocked with calcium it is a great way, especially for women, to increase their calcium intake and avoid risk of osteoporosis.