The iftar table: harees and lamb mansaf

In the third part of our four-part series exploring some of the dishes that are commonly found on the iftar tables of families during the holy month, we takes a closer look at harees and lamb mansaf.

Mansaf consists of lightly-spiced marinated lamb or chicken that is boiled and then simmered slowly in a yogurt-based sauce. Blaine Harrington III / Alamy Stock Photo

As well as breaking the spiritual practice of fasting each day, Ramadan iftars are also a chance to showcase signature national dishes. In the case of Emirati cuisine, the king of Ramadan dishes is the rustic meat porridge that is the harees. In Jordan, meanwhile, families greet sunset with a hefty rice and meat dish called the mansaf.

Harees

Regardless of age, geographical location or culinary disposition, the best-loved types of food most enjoyed by Muslims during Ramadan tend to be familiar dishes, which often have connotations of childhood and home.

“The majority of Emirati people, including myself, tend to prefer traditional, local food during Ramadan,” says Sara Khalid ­AlBadi, who was born and raised in the UAE.

“Dates and laban are the two unchanging items at every iftar. After that, we always have different types of rice and stews, such as harees and thareed, as well as grilled fish and ­samosas. For dessert, balaleet (sweet ­vermicelli and eggs) and ­lgeimat (saffron-infused ­doughnuts ­drizzled with syrup) are really popular.”

AlBadi says if she had to pick the single dish her family are most fond of, it would be harees.

A staple during Ramadan in the UAE, this wholesome, soothing meal is made from a basic list of ingredients that have remained unchanged for hundreds of years.

Meat (usually lamb or beef) is slow-cooked in water with previously soaked cracked or ground wheat berries. In the past, harees was cooked in a clay pot and oven, or the embers of a charcoal- filled hole in the ground.

These days, a heavy-based pan and stovetop is the more common cooking method.

Once the meat is tender and the wheat softened, the two are vigorously combined to make a thick, porridge-like consistently. This whipping and pounding of the mixture can be done by hand, using a large spoon or medhrab (a wooden beater specifically designed for the purpose). In another nod to modernity, though, a hand blender or food processor is now often employed to do the job and yields successful results with significantly less physical effort.

Tradition still reigns supreme when it comes to presentation though, and harees is usually served in a shallow dish, finished with a generous slick of samen (clarified butter or ghee).

Thanks in part to the lengthy preparation process, harees is regarded as a dish for special occasions. It is associated with weddings, Eid meals and of course, Ramadan.

AlBadi says the sentimental element and ­connection to the past elevates it above other dishes for her family.

“We love harees because it connects us to our roots,” she says. “The idea that not just our grandparents but our ­ancestors before them used to eat harees makes it all the more important and an essential part of family gatherings.”

Lamb mansaf

If you ask a Jordanian to name the food most frequently associated with their country, or the dish most revered back home, the answer is invariably lamb mansaf.

In Jordan, it is more than just a meal – it is an ­important part of the national identify, a tangible link to the country’s heritage and an ­essential presence at significant events or times of year, both sad and celebratory.

Mansaf consists of lightly- spiced marinated lamb or chicken, boiled and then simmered slowly in a ­yogurt-based sauce.

Intended for sharing and communal eating, it is served on large trays or ­platters layered with paper-thin shrak bread followed by rice, meat and a tangy sauce. A sprinkling of roasted pine nuts and almonds provides a final flourish.

The intensely flavoured sauce known as jameed (meaning hardened or dried) ­historically sets mansaf apart from other dishes.

In Bedouin times, jameed was made by straining goats’ milk to make labneh or yogurt. This mixture was then fermented using plenty of salt, before being strained repeatedly, until it could be formed into balls and left to harden in the sun.

These solid balls of ­yogurt were then rehydrated in water when needed. Before refrigeration was readily available, this process was essential for preserving perishable dairy products.

It must be said that the salty, pronounced flavour of jameed is something of an acquired taste. Just as the method for preparing mansaf has evolved over hundreds of years – lamb shoulder or shank is now more commonly used than the larger cuts of the past – so too have the ingredients.

A purist would insist that if you are not able to procure jameed from a shop, the only thing to do is set about making your own from scratch. Those with a less ­stringent approach to tradition will let you get away with – or even encourage – the substitution of natural or Greek yogurt.

There is one thing that all agree on, though: as the yogurt mixture is heated it must be stirred constantly, in the same direction. Failure to stir – or worse, switching directions – is a sure-fire way to cause the sauce to curdle.