Arayes (Lebanese meat-stuffed pitas)

Crispy, packed with flavor and unbelievably easy to make! With just a few simple ingredients you can whip up these Arayes in no time. You just have to try these Lebanese meat-stuffed pitas!

About this recipe:

Arayes are a beloved Middle Eastern street food, pita pockets packed with flavored ground lamb or beef and fried to perfection. The beauty of this dish comes from the flavorful juices that are released when cooking. As the meat cooks, the juices are soaked up by the pita breads and each mouthful is a delight. This recipe shows you how easy it is to make these Lebanese meat-stuffed pitas and pairs it with a fresh and tangy Labneh dip.

Ingredients

• For the Arayes:
• Pita breads
• Ground lamb or beef
• Cumin
• Paprika
• Cayenne pepper
• Ground coriander
• Grated onion
• Grated garlic
• Chopped parsley
• Salt to taste
• For the dip (Labneh):
• Greek yoghurt
• Dill
• Mint
• Olive oil
• Lemon

See recipe card for quantities.

Step by step photographs:

1. Step 1: To a bowl, add your Labneh (Lebanese Yoghurt Dip) ingredients into a bowl.

2. Step 2: Mix well and refrigerate until needed.

Does everything cook properly inside the pita?

The heat from frying the pitas cooks the lamb or beef perfectly inside it. The trick to ensure it is cooked through is to grate your onion and garlic so it is fine enough to cook out the rawness. Then, make sure your meat layer is nice and thin inside the pita!

Substitutions

There are a few substitutions you can do to make these Arayes fit your personal taste, here are a few ideas:

• Meat - Use either beef mince or lamb, which ever you have to hand or prefer! I suggest using 15-20% fat and not go for the low fat option as the delicious juices melt all the flavors together and are soaked up by the pitas!
• Spices - add half a teaspoon of ground cinnamon and all spice for more traditional flavored Arayes.
• Fresh herbs - I chose to use fresh parsley to add to my meat, however you could substitute this for fresh mint and dill. Since the Labneh I serve the Arayes with uses dill and mint, I chose parsley this time.

Variations

These Arayes are so versatile, you can change them up in so many different ways, here are some ideas:

• Lamb and beef. - for more bold flavor, why not try a 50/50 mix of lamb mince and beef mince. I suggest using 15-20% fat to add to the flavor.
• Spicy - add a teaspoon of chili flakes to your meat mixture for a kick of spice. A teaspoon of harissa paste would also add a delightful spice.
• Wraps - If you're short on pita breads but have some wraps to hand then simply fold your wrap in half, press down a thin layer of meat on one side and fold over to seal. Fry up as instructed below.

Equipment

The only slightly specialist part of this dish is achieving the grated onion and garlic. I simply used a cheese grater to finely grate my onion, just be careful with your fingers when you grate the smaller pieces! Then, I used a garlic mincer to achieve super fine garlic for my mince meat.

Storage

• Working ahead of time - you can prepare your Arayes as instructed and then refrigerate them before cooking. Simply add to an airtight container and keep in the fridge for 24 hours.
• Refrigerating and freezing - Once cooked, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To return the crisp, fry in a touch of olive oil for 2 minutes on each side or until heated through. To freeze, add to an airtight container and freeze for up to 1 month. To reheat, defrost in the fridge overnight and fry on both sides for 2 minutes or until heated through.