Mutton Mandi or Mandi Lahm is a traditional Arabic meat and rice dish with its origin to be believed from Yemen. It is made all across the Middle East. The combination of soft and tender meat with aromatic rice along with the Arabic style Tomato Chutney will make you fall in love with it.
I spent 10 years of my life in the Middle East, and that gave developed the love for Arabic Cuisines in me. There wasn’t any month in UAE, that I spent without eating the Mutton Mandi (Mandi Lahm).
It is one of the easiest recipes with no much hassle. The traditional Mutton Mandi recipe is prepared using thighs(Raan) of lamb. The thigh is marinated, roasted and served with aromatic rice with Raisins, almonds, cashews, and nuts. It is served in a big plate called thaal.
This one is our favorite. We cook it whole year but during Eid-Ul-Adha this is a sure-to-make dish. The whole mutton Raan is first boiled up in a pressure cooker and then lightly baked on tandoor or charcoal to get the aroma of BBQ.
You can add spices if you like but we love it less spicy just like the Arabs. You won’t believe, my 10-year-old son and even my 3-year-old daughter love Mutton Mandi very much. When we have this dish prepared we don’t need anything else.
You can also try our Arabic Chicken Mandi (Mandi Dijaj) Recipe and other Eid-Ul-Adha Special recipes like Tawa Kaleji Gurda Masala and Green Mutton Chops.
Ingredients of Mutton Mandi
For Mutton Raan
- Mutton Raan - 1 Pc
- Green Chili Paste - 2 tbsps
- Ginger Paste - 3 tbsps
- Garlic Paste - 2 tbsps
- Cumin Seeds Powder (Jeera) - 3 tbsps
- Black Pepper Powder - 1 tbsp
- Garam masala (All Spice Mix) - 1 tbsp
- Raw Papaya (Kachcha Papaya) Cubes - 1 Cup
- Salt - To Taste
For Rice
- Basmati Rice - 1 Kg
- Cashew Nuts - 15 pcs
- Raisins - 1/2 Cup
- Almonds - 15 Pcs
- Curry Leaves - 10 Pcs
- Capsicum - 2 tbsp
- Carrot - 2 tbsp
- Edible Oil - 4 tbsp
For Arabic Style Tomato Chutney
- Tomatoes - 3 Pcs
- Green Chili - 1 Pc
- Salt - To Taste
Steps for Mutton Mandi
Make deep slits in the mutton thigh (raan). Take a bowl and mix green chili paste, ginger garlic paste, jeera powder, black pepper, allspice mix (garam masala) and mix it well. As we Indians eat a bit spicy we have added some spice. But Arabs like it less spicy.
Apply properly on the thigh. Insert the masala mixture into the slits also. Take the Raw Papaya cubes and insert them into the slits. Keep it marinated for about 2-3 hours so that it becomes easy to cook and doesn't take long. Till the mutton thigh marinates you can prepare the rice and chutney.
Boil the Basmati Rice till half done. Drain all water. Heat oil in a pan and add cashew, almond, curry leaves in it and fry for 1 minute. Add Capsicum, carrots, and raisins. Fry for 2 minutes put rice over it and mix it well. Cook Rice for 15 minutes until fully done.
To make chutney, grate the tomatoes with a grater and add chopped green chili and salt to it.
After 3 hours, remove the Raw Papaya cubes from the slits. Be sure you don't leave any or else it will make the taste bitter. Take a pressure cooker and add 1/2 cup water. Put thigh in it and cook until half done and water completely dries. This will take approximately 30-35 minutes.
Remove the thigh from the cooker. You can roast it in a tandoor or over charcoal sigdi or even you can use the oven. Once it is done, apply ample quantity of butter over it.
Take a serving plate. Fill the plate or thaal with rice. Put roasted thigh in the center and the masala over it. Serve it with Arabic tomato chutney. Your Scrumptious Arabic Mutton Mandi or Mandi Lahm is ready.
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