Top 3 Yemeni Rice Dishes

This traditional combination of rice and fish is typically prepared with white fish such as sea bass or red snapper. The fish is fried or baked separately, while the rice is cooked in a special fish broth that is prepared with fried onions and bahārāt - a traditional spice blend that usually employs allspice, peppercorns, cassia, coriander, cardamom, cumin, and chili peppers or paprika. The dish is traditionally served on one plate, topped with lightly toasted pine nuts and slivered almonds. If desired, a special sauce can be served on the side.Expand

Mandi is Yemen's national dish (also popular in Saudi Arabia), consisting of lamb or chicken meat, fragrant basmati rice and a mixture of various spices. If lamb is used in the dish, it should be small-sized and as young as possible, to further enhance the flavors. To make mandi, the meat should be cooked in the tandoor, a specially designed hole in the ground covered with clay and charcoal, acting as an oven for the suspended meat above it. It is then closed and no smoke is allowed to go outside as it flavors the meat instead. When the meat is tender and juicy, it is served with rice and accompaniments such as salads, yogurt, and spicy tomato chutneys. Beloved in all of the Arabian Peninsula, mandi is often served for special events, such as feasts and weddings.Expand

Madfoon is one of numerous Arabian meals made with a combination of meat and rice. This signature dish is differentiated by a cooking technique in which the marinated meat is cooked in an underground hole where it is placed on the sand and surrounded by charcoal. The smoke and heat slowly cook the meat, keeping it succulent and tender while providing it with a slightly smoky flavor and aroma. It is believed that this cooking method was inherited from the nomadic period, when traditional ovens did not exist and cooking meat underground was a convenient way to utilize nature and keep the meat protected from hungry predators. Nowadays, the madfoon technique - usually associated with the Yemeni city of Al Hudaydah - has been slightly modernized, but continues to produce the same authentic dish. It is prepared with chicken and lamb (with meat left on the bone) that is spiced with coriander, cumin, pepper, cloves, and turmeric. After several hours of cooking, the meat is tender and moist, thoroughly infused with spices. The meat is served on top of saffron rice, and it is usually accompanied by yogurt and a spicy chili sauce. Since it takes a lot of time to prepare and cook madfoon, it is only found in specialized restaurants across the Arabian Peninsula.Expand