Crispy Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pita - Arayes
Directions
- 1Grate the brown onion into a bowl using a standard box grater, ensuring to collect the juices.
- 2Add the lamb or beef mince, finely grated garlic cloves, finely chopped parsley (optional), ground coriander, ground cumin, smoked paprika, ground allspice, cayenne pepper, and cooking/kosher salt to the grated onion.
- 3Mix all meat filling ingredients well with your hands.
- 4Divide the stuffing into 10 equal portions (about 55 to 60g or 1/4 cup each).
- 5Flatten each portion into a semi-circle shape slightly smaller than half a pita bread.
- 6Gently open a pita bread half; if difficult, microwave for 15 seconds to soften, then use a butter knife to loosen the pocket.
- 7Place the meat filling inside the pita bread.
- 8Close the pita bread, then press down and out to spread the meat evenly to the edges.
- 9Preheat the oven to 50C/120F and place a rack on a tray to keep cooked Arayes warm.
- 10Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- 11Spray both sides of a pita bread with olive oil.
- 12Place 2 or 3 pita pieces in the pan, ensuring they fit in a single layer.
- 13Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, pressing down lightly with a spatula, until golden and crispy.
- 14Transfer cooked Arayes onto the rack and place in the preheated oven to keep warm.
- 15Repeat the cooking process for the remaining pita breads.
- 16Cut the Arayes in half if desired.
- 17Pile Arayes onto a serving platter and serve with Whipped Tahini sauce.
- 18To prepare the Whipped Tahini sauce: Place plain yogurt, tahini, lemon juice, finely grated garlic clove, and cooking/kosher salt in a heatproof bowl.
- 19Whisk the sauce ingredients to combine.
- 20Microwave the sauce for 15 seconds on high.
- 21Whisk again until the sauce resembles soft whipped cream.
- 22Serve the Whipped Tahini sauce slightly warm or at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 5 pita bread, the thin pocket type, ~15cm/6" diameter (250g/8oz pack), cut in half
- Olive oil spray
- 0.5 brown onion
- 500 g lamb or beef mince (ground meat)
- 2 garlic cloves, finely grated
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, optional
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- 1.5 tsp smoked paprika (sub plain paprika)
- 0.75 tsp ground allspice (sub mixed spice)
- 0.5 tsp cayenne pepper (reduce/omit for less spicy)
- 1.25 tsp cooking/kosher salt
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp tahini (or Chinese sesame paste)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove, finely grated
- 0.5 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Equipment
box graterlarge frying panspatulaovenracktrayheatproof bowlwhiskmicrowave
Tips
- Grate the onion for finer texture and more juice, which enhances the meat mixture's flavor.
- Microwave pita bread for 15 seconds on high to soften it, making it easier to open and stuff.
- Spray both sides of the pita with olive oil for cooking to prevent greasiness and use less oil.
- Keep cooked Arayes warm in a low oven (50C/120F) on a rack over a tray to prevent the underside from getting soggy.
- To speed up cooking, use two frying pans simultaneously.
- For the whipped tahini yogurt sauce, microwave the mixture for 15 seconds on high before whisking to achieve a soft whipped cream texture.
- Assemble Arayes ahead of time and store them in the fridge for a couple of days, or freeze for later.
- You can use various pita breads (thin, thick, large Lebanese bread) or even tortillas; adjust cooking time for thicker breads.
- If using a sandwich press, the bottom may not be as crispy as pan-frying due to the weight pressing out more fat.
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