Meet my latest obsession Arayes!
Pita pockets stuffed with seasoned meat kofta filling, then pan fried until crispy.
Think: Lebanesequesadillas/ easygozleme.
Quick whipped Tahini Yogurt makes the perfect dipping sauce!
Enjoy for dinner or pass them around as an appetiser.
I cant stop eating these!
Arayes Lebanese street food!
Quick whipped Tahini Yogurt makes the perfect dipping sauce!
Every now and then I happen across a recipe that really catches me by surprise.
Todays Arayes is one such recipe, introduced to me byChef JB, discovered during his globe trotting days.
Think of it like quesadillas but with Middle Eastern spiced filling or an easier version of lambgozleme.
The meat is cooked from raw inside the pita so it melds with the pita bread
The Arayes Im sharing today is a Lebanese one.
it’s possible for you to get all the ingredients at any grocery store.
And its Outrageously Delicious.
(You know Im deadly serious when I capitalise!)
Ingredients in Arayes
Heres what you oughta make Arayes.
However, beef is a very close second.
Spice mix No unusual players here in this Lebanese kofta spice mix!
Theres a fairly generous amount almost 3 tablespoons which sounds like a lot.
So you want it to be heavy on the spicing!
Spice note:Mild kick, only 1/2 tsp cayenne across 10 pita bread halves.
To reduce to subtle, cut down cayenne to 1/4 tsp.
Onion and fresh garlic For aromatic flavour in the kofta filling.
Parsley Optional for nice little bits of green throughout.
Have fun and experiment!
Pita Bread The pita bread I use is 15cm / 6 wide.
You need pita bread pockets that can be split open to stuff the meat inside.
Just make them like quesadillas spread the meat filling on half then fold over.
Olive oil sprayworks best for cooking, I found.
Using oil in the pan makes the pita pockets a little too greasy.
If you dont have spray, just brush the surface with olive oil.
Its sooooo good!!
Gratethe onion using a standard box grater.
Why grate rather than chop?
It will cook enough with the meat.
Plus, the onion juices make the meat mixture even tastier!
Filling Add the meat and all the other filling ingredients, then mix well with your hands.
Though no need to be too meticulous here!
Prevent screen from sleeping
You just dont want giant areas of meat-less pita bread.
Sprayeach side with oil.
I prefer spraying because I found using oil in the pan makes the Arayes too greasy.
Plus, you use far less oil!
Pan fry 4 min Then pan fry on medium high for 2 minutes on each side until crispy.
The meat will cook through in this time because its so thin!
I do 2 or 3 halves at a time.
Cook as many as you’re free to fit in a single layer.
Or get 2 pans going to speed things up!
Serving Pile Arayes onto a platter and serve with Tahini dipping sauce.
Serve them whole, as they are.
Or cut them into smaller pieces its up to you!
Whipped Tahini Yogurt Dipping Sauce
I think youll really like the Whipped Tahini Yogurt dipping sauce too.
Its got a unique texture almost like soft whipped cream.
Then as you whisk it, it becomes almost a bit aerated like whipped cream!
Neat little trick I picked up from aFatteh recipeby Nigella Lawson.
(Well, except kale! )
