Arayes - Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pitas!

Meet my current obsession - Arayes! Pita pockets stuffed with seasoned meat kofta filling, then pan fried until crispy. Think - Lebanese quesadillas. Enjoy for dinner or pass them around as an appetiser. Easy and fun to make!
RECIPE ⬇️⬇️⬇️ or PRINT: www.recipetine...
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ARAYES - Lebanese meat stuffed crispy pita {Makes 10 halves}
5 pita bread, the thin pocket type, ~15cm/6" diameter (250g/8oz pack), cut in half*
Olive oil spray (or brush with olive oil)
SPICED MEAT FILLING:
1/2 onion, grated using box grater
500g/ 1 lb lamb or beef mince (ground meat)
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 tbsp finely chopped parsley, optional
3 tsp EACH coriander, cumin
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (sub plain paprika)
3/4 tsp ground allspice (sub mixed spice)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (reduce/omit for less spicy)
1 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
WHIPPED TAHINI YOGURT SAUCE:
1 cup plain yogurt (250g), 2 tbsp tahini, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 1 garlic clove finely grated, 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
1. Mix filling ingredients. Divide into 10 portions, flatten into thin semi-circle about the shape of a pita half. Stuff inside pita, enclose, press to spread to edges. (If pita is tearing, microwave 15 sec then use butter knife to split).
2. Spray with oil, pan fry on medium high 2 min each side until crispy and meat is cooked. Keep cooked ones warm in 50C/120F oven on rack. Serve with sauce!
3. Sauce: Whisk to mostly combine then microwave 20 sec on high. Whisk again - should be like soft whipped cream. Serve slightly warm or at room temp.
* Can use 2 to 3 x large Lebanese bread instead, then once cooked cut into large pieces. Flatbreads (like tortillas) - spread meat on half, fold over then cook like quesadillas!

[@ev1677]

Never understood the point of adding a single clove of garlic

[@clairebear9971]

I know. I like a good hit of garlic

[@princelasdoce1702]

You always measure garlic with your soul.

[@clairebear9971]

@@princelasdoce1702 🤣🤣🤣

[@jackylegs4941]

truly fresh Garlic has the same pungency of many cloves of the stuff we get at the grocery store

[@NB_Strikers]

Agreed. Go all in or get out.

[@ossieg1505]

Use minced meat that has some fat in it. Even better, use a mixture of beef and lamb.
We use cilantro instead of parsley, and spice it with salt, pepper and ras el hanout.
We usually grill the arayes instead of frying it. Can also grill it in the oven, or even - yes, yes - in a panini press.

[@noneofyourbuizness]

Are you lebanese? Or is that an Algerian version of it haha

[@gm3801]

0:15 Can I buy you a new grater?

[@CNile-se9xw]

You're a treasure Nagi. ❤🏆

[@gardenamateur]

Definitely trying these this week! (Update, worked a charm with the Nana pitta bread and Naji's method, but I used my own very reliable and super-simple recipe for Kofta mix found in an old Lebanese cookbook from the 1970s.)

[@ItsAllFakeAndGhey]

Yum! Can you please tell me what brand of spatula that is? I need it!

[@noobian458]

I've made this recipe with lamb a few times now and it is delicious beyond belief every single time and so easy! My father enjoyed it too which was very special to me 😊 I am definitly adding it to my semi regular meal rotations. The only thing I can't quite enjoy is the tahini, but removing that still leaves the most delicious garlic sauce.

[@nzaud]

That's for the end of the week movie night, thanks Nagi !

[@BLICKBEANZ]

this looks heavenly

[@milkshake3350]

Could you fry the mince mixture first, then add to the pittas to fry or grill?

[@celesteroberts7743]

You might overcook the beef if you do that. It is really thin

[@iayyam]

How do you know when the meat inside is properly cooked?

[@pamelabouganim3328]

You're using cheap pita!! Suggestion Buy the best, yes more$

[@Mohammad_Reza_Afshar]

I think inside is raw

[@speaker151]

No, heat travels through. Plus u can see the proof in the end

[@nel3718]

Tried this recipe for the first time and it was super simple to make and guests loved it! Thanks Nagi

[@moeenabuzaid8015]

Hi chef, what it makes Lebanese?
It's from the Levantine region. We have been eating this in Jordan, Syria, and Palestine for ages. Like hummus as well doesn’t have an ID to say I’m Lebanese or Syrian ❤

[@waldwulfwulfila1293]

1 k like 22:17 04.07.2024🥂🍾🎇🎆🎇🎉🎊🎉

[@breakies]

i made this today for the first time and it was amazing

[@eeveedee3702]

Omg yum!!! I’m def going to try this!!

[@shadowkatbinga5894]

Yum 😋

[@customrefinishersaustralia4747]

Yum!!

[@afnanahmed6703]

Its Egyptian hawawshy 🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬🇪🇬

[@antyest]

How can meat cook as quickly as the pita bread turns crispy.. not possible

[@mikegtfc4]

My first thought also…

[@Romy---]

From her blog "Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, pressing down lightly with a spatula, until golden and crispy. The meat is spread so thin it cooks really quickly!"

[@Romy---]

@@mikegtfc4just read the recipe.

[@celesteroberts7743]

Because it's beef and not chicken. It cooks faster. Also some ppl like beef medium and not well done or overcooked 😉

[@antyest]

@@celesteroberts7743 Greetings from India.. I truly appreciate your response to my query but at least in the Indian context, this is not possible with any meat whatsoever.
For us, The other way out is to precooked the meat, tuck it in the pita bread & toast it

[@nzk5691]

Arayes is a well-known food in Jordan and Palestine, it is not known in Lebanon

[@yellowcube8595]

The bread is not called Pita! Omg just stop naming foreign food the way you want

[@jacquisamsung2619]

That's it you correct us and don't tell us what it's called? I have always known it as Pita bread, what do you call it?????

[@yellowcube8595]

@@jacquisamsung2619 we don't call it anything, it is traditional Lebanese bread, and it differs from the greek one called pita, because the Lebanese one is way thinner. You can copy this خبز لبناني and paste it on google to see how it looks cause when i type Lebanese bread, it just gives so many different kinds of bread and the one i wanna show you is the traditional, the one we make aarayes with

[@sky-tec]

@@yellowcube8595 no, it is literally called pita bread by everyone else in the world. خبز لبناني is "khabaz albayta" or simply khebez. Sometimes, people refer to foreign foods by names that are more known, rather than by their colloquial terms.
Don't be a dick for no reason my guy.

[@yellowcube8595]

@@sky-tec yea let's use a word colonisers use to talk about our food... let's also accept they alter them to their likings or pronounce them wrong without correcting them. let's just be ok with that. They messed up our land but why be mad about khebez right? Let them do whatever they want with it, anyway in maybe 100 years every lebanese/laventine meal would lose it original name but it is okay, everything is ok when it is America! You just make me lose hope in the human race even more my man