Traditional Jordanian Mansaf

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1. 1Step 1: The night before you start, take 1 ball of jameed out of the freezer. Cover it in water to soak and soften overnight.
2. 2Step 2: Add lamb to an instant pot or pressure cooker along with 1 tablespoon ghee, 1 quartered yellow onion, 1 heaping tablespoon ground mansaf spice blend, pinch of ground turmeric powder, 6 crushed cardamom pods, 3 bay leaves, and 1 tablespoon salt (or to the taste you like).
3. 3Step 3: Cover lamb completely with water (about 7 cups). Set pressure cooker to natural release (sealing) and pressure cook for 25 minutes. After 25 minutes you can release the steam to check your lamb. Your lamb should feel buttery between your fingers and easily fall off the bone. If it does not do this, pressure cook at additional 5 minutes until you achieve this perfect texture.
4. 4Step 4: Add the soaked jameed along with the soaking water to a large blender along with the 32 ounce jug of plain kefir. Blend on high for 5 minutes to achieve a perfect silky texture.
5. 5Step 5: Strain the jameed through a fine mesh strainer into a large pot.
6. 6Step 6: Sprinkle jameed with a little bit of turmeric for the signature yellow jameed soup color. Add 1 tablespoon ghee. Add 2 cups of strained meat broth. If you want lighter (thinner) or heavier (thicker) mansaf jameed soup, use more or less cooking broth. We like ours medium so I use 2 cups of broth. Stir jameed and keep on a low heat until the rice is finished cooking. Don't let it boil!
7. 7Step 7: For mansaf, use a mix of jasmine and basmati rice for a fluffy texture that also sticks together if you want to eat the mansaf rice with your hands.
8. 8Step 8: In a pot, add 2 cups of jasmine and basmati mixed rice, 1 tablespoon ghee, a sprinkle of turmeric, and 4 cups of strained broth. Stir the rice into the broth once, cover with a tight fitting lid, and put on high heat. Once you see the water boiling, reduce the heat to low and cook 10-15 minutes until all the water is absorbed. Remove the mansaf rice from the heat and let it sit for an additional 10 minutes before removing the lid and serving.
9. 9Step 9: On a large serving platter, assemble ripped up bite sized pieces of shrak bread. Drizzle with a scoop of jameed. Fluff the rice and scoop it evenly over all the bread. Drizzle with another scoop of jameed. Assemble cooked lamb on top (I keep mine warm in the instant pot until I'm ready to serve it). Drizzle each piece of lamb with jameed. Sprinkle toasted nuts and finely minced fresh parsley. Finally, serve your beautiful mansaf recipe family style in the middle of the table along with an extra bowl of jameed soup, a plate of toasted nuts, and pickles or olives to snack on.