![]() I prefer spraying because I found using oil in the pan makes the Arayes too greasy. Though – no need to be too meticulous here! You just don’t want giant areas of meat-less pita bread. PRO TIP: If you have trouble prying the pocket open, microwave for 15 seconds on high to soften then run a butter knife inside the slit.įlatten – Close the pita bread then press down and out to spread the meat to the edges of the pita bread. Semi-circle shape – Divide into 10 portions, roll into a ball then pat into a thin semi-circle shape approximating the size of half a pita bread. ![]() Plus, the onion juices make the meat mixture even tastier!įilling – Add the meat and all the other filling ingredients, then mix well with your hands. Why grate rather than chop? Because grated is finer than chopped so you don’t need to cook the onion separately before mixing into the meat. Grate the onion using a standard box grater. So as it cooks, the meat juices flavour the inside of the pita bread while the outside goes golden and crispy. If you don’t have spray, just brush the surface with olive oil.Ī unique step in making Arayes is that the meat is raw when stuffed inside the pita bread. Using oil in the pan makes the pita pockets a little too greasy. Olive oil spray works best for cooking, I found. And if you can’t find any pita pockets at all, you could even make Arayes using any flatbreads you can get your hands on, or even tortillas! Just make them like quesadillas – spread the meat filling on half then fold over. Large Lebanese bread ~30cm/12″ wide also works! You need 2 to 3, spread the meat inside using a butter knife, pan fry until crisp then cut into pieces. Fellow Aussies – I use Nana brand pita bread from Woolies, Coles.Īlternatives/variations – I’ve made this with the breadier, thicker pita bread pockets too (like used in this recipe) and it works great, just takes a minute or two longer for the meat to cook. Thinner is better as it’s easier to cook the meat through. You need pita bread pockets that can be split open to stuff the meat inside. Pita Bread – The pita bread I use is 15cm / 6″ wide. Parsley – Optional for nice little bits of green throughout.Īrayes is and can be made with all sorts of pita breads – large, small, thin, thick. Onion and fresh garlic – For aromatic flavour in the kofta filling. To reduce to subtle, cut down cayenne to 1/4 tsp. Spice note: Mild kick, only 1/2 tsp cayenne across 10 pita bread halves. So you want it to be heavy on the spicing! This is because the meat is spread very thinly inside each pita bread so you actually don’t end up with very much with each bite. Spice mix – No unusual players here in this Lebanese kofta spice mix! There’s a fairly generous amount – almost 3 tablespoons – which sounds like a lot. Protein – Lamb is a favoured protein in the Middle East and goes so well with the Lebanese spice mix we’re using today! However, beef is a very close second. Here’s what you need for the spiced kofta filling used to stuff the pita bread. The meat is cooked from raw inside the pita so it melds with the pita bread Ingredients in Arayes ![]() (You know I’m deadly serious when I capitalise!) Quick whipped Tahini Yogurt makes the perfect dipping sauce! You can get all the ingredients at any grocery store.Īnd it’s Outrageously Delicious. The Arayes I’m sharing today is a Lebanese one. Think of it like quesadillas – but with Middle Eastern spiced filling – or an easier version of lamb gozleme.Īs with many traditional recipes, there are variations between countries, including the seasoning in the meat, the type of bread used, thickness of meat etc. Originating from the Middle East, Arayes is a pita or flatbread that’s stuffed with raw seasoned meat kofta filling then pan fried, grilled or baked until crispy. Today’s Arayes is one such recipe, introduced to me by Chef JB, discovered during his globe trotting days. Something I’ve never heard of before that’s devilishly tasty, a little different to the usual yet easy and relatively fast to make. I can’t stop eating these! Arayes – Lebanese street food!Įvery now and then I happen across a recipe that really catches me by surprise. Enjoy for dinner or pass them around as an appetiser. Think: Lebanese quesadillas / easy gozleme. Meet my latest obsession – Arayes! Pita pockets stuffed with seasoned meat kofta filling, then pan fried until crispy.
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