Mansaf (Lebanese Rice with Meat)

No matter how you celebrate holidays, food is always part of any family tradition. If you love discovering new recipes that will be a part of your holiday repertoire over time, I guess Mansaf (Lebanese Rice with Meat) is certainly going be on the top of the list!

Served at every occasion and gathering, this Lebanese Mansaf (Riz bi Lahme) dish is a classic. Spiced ground beef and rice are served with toasted almonds and shredded juicy meat and topped with spicy tomato sauce. The taste is pure joy and the aroma is irresistible!

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Decadent and Impressive Spiced Rice Dish

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  Mansaf rice is my childhood favorite comfort food. This dish always brings back such wonderful memories. A huge plate of Riz b Lahme was always on the lunch table at every family gathering. Give your holiday table a Lebanese flair with this classic recipe!

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What is Mansaf?

Mansaf is a popular dish in many Middle Eastern countries, ranging from Saudi Arabia to Palestine. It is best known and most often served at important occasions, both happy and sad, and is eaten casually at home.

Mansaf is a gorgeous spiced rice dish with Levantine decent that is also called Riz b Lahme. The rice is flavored with seven spices and is layered with ground meat and topped with toasted pine nuts and juicy meat chunks.

 Expect layers of flavor in each bite, thanks to aromatics, seven spices, and the golden toasted nuts. Its taste and presentation make it a star dish on special occasions.   

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This Dish Screams Comfort Food!

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Here’s What You Need to Make this Hearty Dish

Beef Shanks: You will need beef shanks to top your rice dish with. You can also use the broth to cook the rice. Using broth will give your rice a special taste.

Ground meat: You can use ground beef or ground lamb or a combination of both.

Long grain rice: You can use any kind of long grain rice. It has better results than short grain rice.

Spices: The only spice I use here is seven spices. The blend of spices in this one spice gives this dish an unforgettable aroma and taste.

Bay leaves: You need some bay leaves to add to the stock water as you boil the beef shanks.

Toasted nuts: You can use almond slivers, halved almonds, cashews, or pine nuts to top the dish.

Salt (to taste).

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What Do You Serve Mansaf With?

You can serve this Lebanese Rice and Meat dish with many side dishes. Try serving it with Fattoush or Simple Middle Eastern Salad and enjoy the heavenly taste.

If you prefer chicken to meat, serve it with Seasoned Air Fried Rotisserie Chicken.

This dish also pairs very well with Cucumber-Yogurt Mint Garlic Salad.

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A Celebration in Every Bite!

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Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

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Decadent & Impressive!

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Pro Tips

You can throw raisins on top of the dish to add a subtle spark of sweetness. The contrasting flavors of sweet and savory make magic together.

You can cook your meat in the instant pot. This will save you time.

If you don’t like meat, you can top the rice dish with cooked or roasted chicken. It will also taste great.

Make sure to wash and drain rice before cooking it. This will ensure the rice is not sticky and that it will cook quickly and evenly.

For this rice and meat dish, I prefer using long grain rice. However, if you don’t have long grain rice, you can use any kind of rice on hand.

Use a pot with a secure lid, and if necessary, place a towel on top when cooking the rice covered. We want to trap all of the steam inside the pot for the rice to come out really fluffy, and if your pot allows some steam to escape, it may result in undercooked rice.

Ensure your water ratio is exactly what the recipe calls for, and don’t stir the rice while it’s cooking.

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Mansaf Ingredients

Rice & Ground Beef Ingredients

• ground beef
• long grain rice
• seven spices
• salt
• water or broth
• almonds, halved or slivered

Beef Shanks

• beef shanks
• bay leaves
• cloves
• seven spices
• salt 

Spicy Red Sauce

• tomatoes/ crushed
• red pepper or Cheyenne (optional) 
• Lemon
• Black pepper
• Salt 

Steps to Prep

Beef Shanks

• First, cook the beef shanks in a regular pot with 1 quart water, or in an instant pot.
• Next, add 3-4 cloves, 1/2 teaspoon seven spices, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 2-3 bay leaves.
• If you’re cooking the beef shanks on the stove top boil then lower to medium heat covered for 3 hours or until cooked and tender. If cooking in an instant pot, cook for 1 hour.
• After that, remove the beef shanks and strain the broth into a bowl. 

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Rice & Ground Beef 

• First, in a medium pot on medium heat add 1/4 cup olive oil or butter and cook the ground beef for about 7 minutes.
• Next, add in the washed and drained long grain rice, salt, seven spices and water or broth (beef shank broth for best results).
• Then, bring to a high boil for 1 whole minute then cover and low to simmer for 15 minutes. 
• After that, allow rice to rest for 10 minutes once it has cooked.

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• Begin plating by adding the rice.

• Then, add the the chunks of cooked beef shanks.

• Finally, add the toasted almonds, and minced parsley. Drizzle some beef broth all over the rice for extra flavor. Then, top each plate with the desired amount of the spicy tomato sauce. 

Spicy Tomato Sauce

• First, to a blender add 6 large tomatoes, lemon, black pepper, and salt. Adding Cheyenne pepper or crushed red pepper is optional and highly recommended.
• Next, blend for 2-3 minutes until mixture is in a form of a sauce.
• Finally, pour into a small sauce pan and cook on high heat for a few minutes and then 5 minutes on low the heat.

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Other Amazing Recipes You Have To Try

• Layered Chicken Biryani
• Seasoned Air Fried Rotisserie Chicken
• Middle Eastern Chicken Kafta Burgers
• Cheesy Chicken Stuffed Puff Pastry
• Baked Cumin Chicken and Potatoes
• Chicken and Potato Béchamel Bake
• Chinese Mushroom Chicken over Beef Hotlink Rice
• Durum Wheat Chicken Soup- Frikeh
• Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo
• Air Fried Cilantro Chicken Egg Rolls
• Warak Enab (Lebanese Stuffed Grape Leaves)

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