Mandi Rice for Restaurants: Chicken and Lamb Mandi

Why mandi earns a place on restaurant menus

Mandi is an Arab dish rooted in Yemeni cuisine that spread across the Arabian Peninsula and the wider region. Traditionally the meat is boiled with whole spices, the stock cooks basmati rice at the bottom of a tandoor, and the meat hangs above the rice so its juices drip onto it while the sealed oven cooks for hours. Guests order mandi for that smoky, rich rice.

Few restaurants have the oven, space and time for the traditional method. A ready mix gives the same character in an ordinary pot, with the same weight every time.

Mandi rice for restaurants with the smoked rice mix

The smoked rice mix is made for mandi rice for restaurants: 1 kg of mix per 10 kg of rice, add water and oil, butter or ghee to taste, and no extra salt because the mix is pre-salted.

Smoky taste with no smoker: no charcoal or tandoor needed.
The same taste in every tray: fixed weights, every shift and every branch.
Clear costing: 1 kg per 10 kg of rice.

Mandi dishes you can serve with one mix

Chicken mandi: half or whole chicken over the rice; serve the rice under the chicken so it soaks up the juices. For charcoal-grilled chicken, charcoal chicken seasoning keeps the chicken itself consistent.
Lamb or veal mandi: the same 1 kg per 10 kg of rice.
Mixed grill platters on smoked rice: kofta, shish and grilled chicken for groups.
Catering trays: fixed weights keep every tray identical.
Smoked rice side dish: an alternative to plain white rice.

Step by step

Weigh 1 kg of mix per 10 kg of rice.
Add the mix with the cooking water so it spreads evenly.
Choose oil, butter or ghee for your menu.
Add no salt.
Serve the rice under the chicken or meat.

Water amounts vary with the rice and the pot, so record the amount that works for 10 kg in your standard recipe.

More smoke, or a smoky touch on plain rice

To control the smoke yourself, smoke extract powder is used at 5–6 g per 1 kg of rice and 4–5 g per 1 kg of grilled meat. Mastic powder is concentrated: use 25% less than the usual weight of Greek mastic.

Hotels and buffets

With large batches and changing shifts, a weighed mix keeps buffet mandi rice the same every day. Packs: 1 kg and 5 kg packs and 15 and 25 kg bags. Tell us on WhatsApp what your restaurant serves and how much you cook a day, and we will send a quote.