Al-Mandi | Sofrat Hadhramia

 Al-Mandi is considered 

a traditional Hadrami dish, as it was famous for the people of Hadhramaut Governorate, which are located in eastern Yemen, in addition to the people of the Al-Baha region, who live in southwest Saudi Arabia. Syria, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, and the Gulf states in general.

 What distinguishes Mandi is the ripening of meat or chicken directly through exposing it to heat, as the Arabs in the past used to put it in a barrel in a hole in the ground, as this hole contains a strong source of heat, with the need to ensure that there are no An air outlet so as not to put out the fire, and at the present time some people are still preparing the mandi in the traditional way, and it can be prepared at home using the oven.

A kilogram of chopped chicken.

A quarter cup of lemon juice.

Half a teaspoon of mixed spices, ground cardamom, and paprika.

A pinch of ground cinnamon, saffron, and ginger.

One teaspoon of onion powder.

Crushed garlic clove.

Two cups of rice soaked in water for at least fifteen minutes.

A quantity of vegetable oil, salt, and chicken spices as needed.

Two tablespoons of chopped onions.

Three cloves.

Cinnamon sticks.

Three cups of water.

Mix lemon juice, onion powder, garlic, mixed spices, and cardamom in a large and boracic bowl. 

Add paprika, saffron and ginger, with constant mixing of the ingredients until they overlap.

Soak the chicken in the resulting marinade for at least five hours. 

Heat the vegetable oil in a saucepan on the fire, then put the onions and stir until they wilt. 

Add the rice and stir well until the ingredients overlap together, then put the rice in an oven tray.

Add cinnamon, cloves, and chicken spices to the tray, then pour the water until the ingredients are immersed. 

Cover the tray with tin foil, then make holes inside, using a knife. Put the chicken on the tin paper from the top and then cover the tray again with a second layer of tin.

Put the tray in a preheated oven at a temperature of not less than one hundred and eighty degrees Celsius and leave it for about forty minutes. 

Remove the tray from the oven, then remove the tin foil, put the chicken on top of the rice, and return it to the oven until it turns red. 

Wrap a small charcoal with tin foil, then put it in the middle of the tray and leave it for at least five minutes, until the tray absorbs the flavor of charcoal.