Although "Mansaf" is primarily known to be a Jordanian recipe, it is prepared in different Arabic countries with versatile versions. And while the traditional Jordanian Mansaf is prepared with lamb cooked in fermented yogurt and served on a large plate over flat bread with either rice or bulgur, the Lebanese Mansaf is a rice based dish that is cooked either with beef, chicken or lamb and served with nuts on top. Mansaf is a mandatory dish to celebrate happiness in almost every traditional Lebanese occasion especially weddings. In some Lebanese villages, the tradition of “Raddet El Ejer” - the bride's first visit to her parents after getting married - is still practiced until today. On this very special occasion, a big feast based on Mansaf is offered by the bride’s parents to her in-laws the day she visits her parents for the first time, usually 1 week after the wedding night. Mansaf is also served as a main dish on other occasions such as funerals. [caption id="attachment_2919" align="alignnone" width="900"] Jordanian Mansaf ©egyptianstreets.com[/caption] Total Servings: 5 Preparation time: 3 hours  Ingredients: 1 Kg of long grain rice 1 kg of ground beef ½ tsp. of seven spices 2 bay laurel leaves 1 medium onion, cut into 3 big pieces 1 big onion, cubed 2 garlic cloves 1 Tbsp. of Mansaf spices (including fenugreek, turmeric, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg and cinnamon) 1 Tbsp. of salt 1 tsp of yellow turmeric 2 Tbsp. of vegetable oil 7 cups of chicken broth ½ Kg of raw cashews 1 kg of chicken breasts Preparation steps:
  1. Wash the chicken breasts and dry with paper towels
  2. In a large pot, cover the chicken breasts with water and boil until foam is formed. Remove the foam with a spoon and then add seven spices, laurel leaves and onion pieces
  3. Cook until the chicken is cooked and tender then cut the chicken into thin elongated pieces of 5-10 cm in length and leave aside
  4. Wash the rice thoroughly and soak in water for 1 hour
  5. In a cooker, heat part of the vegetable oil and cook the ground beef until tender. Add the remaining vegetable oil, the chopped onions and garlic
  6. Add the rice to the fried mixture and the Mansaf spices and cover with chicken broth
  7. Cover with the lid and let the rice boil slowly over low flame for 20 minutes
  8. Fry the cashews in a small amount of vegetable oil
  9. Pour the cooked rice into a flat plate and top with the cooked chicken breast pieces and the fried cashews
  10. Serve with hot with yogurt or the Lebanese mixed vegetable salad (fattoush)