Chicken Mandi
Yogurt-marinated chicken suspended over aromatic basmati rice so its drippings baste the grains as both cook together, traditionally sealed inside an underground pit oven for hours rather than roasted in the open. From Yemen's Hadhramaut region, mandi spread across Saudi Arabia and the wider Gulf via Yemeni migration, and stays distinct from biryani in its pale, smoke-scented rice rather than a deeply spiced, fried-onion-layered one.
Meat
⚠ Contains: Dairy, Tree Nut. Always check your own ingredients — this isn't a guarantee for severe allergies.
Ingredients
- 1.2 kg chicken pieces, bone-in
- 3 cups basmati rice, soaked 30 minutes
- 2 large onions: 1 sliced for stock, 1 sliced for garnish
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 2 tbsp mandi/hawaij spice blend (cumin, coriander, black pepper, cardamom, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric, nutmeg)
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 4 whole cloves, 4 green cardamom pods, 1 cinnamon stick, 2 bay leaves
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt, for the marinade
- 1/4 cup ghee or vegetable oil
- Saffron strands, soaked in 2 tbsp warm water
- 2 pieces dried lime (loomi), pierced
- Salt, to taste
- Fresh coriander, toasted almonds, and raisins, for garnish
Steps
- Marinate the chicken with yogurt, garlic, ginger, half the hawaij spice, and salt for at least 2 hours, ideally overnight.
- Traditionally, a pit is dug and lined with hot coals, the marinated meat is suspended on a rack over a pot of rice and stock, and the pit is sealed with a lid and cloth to cook for 3-4 hours so the drippings baste the rice.
- Oven adaptation: sear the marinated chicken in a hot pan or roast at 220C/425F until browned, then transfer to a rack set over a deep tray.
- Make the stock: saute the sliced onion in ghee until deep golden, add the whole spices and dried lime, and simmer in water 20 minutes, then strain and reserve.
- Place the soaked rice in the tray beneath the rack, pour the hot stock over the rice, and add the saffron water.
- Cover the tray tightly with foil, place the meat rack on top, and roast at 180C/350F for 45-60 minutes until the rice is tender and the meat is cooked through, finishing under a broiler for smoky color.
- Fluff the rice, plate with the meat on top, and garnish with fried onions, toasted almonds, raisins, and fresh coriander.