Meet my latest obsession – Arayes! Pita pockets stuffed with seasoned meat kofta filling, then pan fried until crispy. Think: Lebanese quesadillas / easy gozleme. Enjoy for dinner or pass them around as an appetiser. I can’t stop eating these!
Arayes – Lebanese street food!
Every now and then I happen across a recipe that really catches me by surprise. Something I’ve never heard of before that’s devilishly tasty, a little different to the usual yet easy and relatively fast to make.
Today’s Arayes is one such recipe, introduced to me by Chef JB, discovered during his globe trotting days.
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. Think of it like quesadillas – but with Middle Eastern spiced filling – or an easier version of lamb gozleme.
As with many traditional recipes, there are variations between countries, including the seasoning in the meat, the type of bread used, thickness of meat etc. The Arayes I’m sharing today is a Lebanese one. It’s easy. You can get all the ingredients at any grocery store.
And it’s Outrageously Delicious. (You know I’m deadly serious when I capitalise!)
Ingredients in Arayes
Here’s what you need to make Arayes.
Spiced kofta filling
Here’s what you need for the spiced kofta filling used to stuff the pita bread.
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.
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. 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. 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. Or omit.
Onion and fresh garlic – For aromatic flavour in the kofta filling.
Parsley – Optional for nice little bits of green throughout.
Pita bread and oil
Arayes is and can be made with all sorts of pita breads – large, small, thin, thick. 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. Thinner is better as it’s easier to cook the meat through. Fellow Aussies – I use Nana brand pita bread from Woolies, Coles.
Alternatives/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. 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. 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.
Olive oil spray works best for cooking, I found. Using oil in the pan makes the pita pockets a little too greasy. If you don’t have spray, just brush the surface with olive oil.
How to make Arayes
A unique step in making Arayes is that the meat is raw when stuffed inside the pita bread. So as it cooks, the meat juices flavour the inside of the pita bread while the outside goes golden and crispy. It’s sooooo good!!
Grate the onion using a standard box grater. 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. 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.
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.
Stuff the meat inside the 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.
Flatten – Close the pita bread then press down and out to spread the meat to the edges of the pita bread. Though – no need to be too meticulous here! You just don’t want giant areas of meat-less pita bread.
Spray each 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 it’s so thin! I do 2 or 3 halves at a time. Cook as many as you can fit in a single layer.
Keep cooked Arayes warm in a low oven on a rack set over a tray (rack prevents underside from getting soggy) as you continue cooking. 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 – it’s up to you!
Whipped Tahini Yogurt Dipping Sauce
I think you’ll really like the Whipped Tahini Yogurt dipping sauce too. It’s got a unique texture almost like soft whipped cream. Made with just tahini, yogurt, lemon and garlic, the trick is to warm the mixture in the microwave slightly before whisking. Then as you whisk it, it becomes almost a bit aerated like whipped cream! Neat little trick I picked up from a Fatteh recipe by Nigella Lawson.
If you’ve got any of the sauce leftover, use it as a dip or slather onto toast like you would with goats cheese, then pile on marinated mushrooms or roast vegetables for a delicious crostini. Enjoy! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Crispy Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pita – Arayes
Ingredients
- 5 pita bread , the thin pocket type, ~15cm/6" diameter (250g/8oz pack), cut in half (Note 1)
- Olive oil spray (or brush with olive oil)
Spiced meat filling:
- 1/2 brown onion
- 500g/ 1 lb lamb or beef mince (ground meat) (Note 2)
- 2 garlic cloves , finely grated
- 1 tbsp finely chopped parsley , optional
- 3 tsp ground coriander
- 3 tsp ground 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 – Note 4)
- 1 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Whipped tahini yogurt sauce:
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp tahini (or Chinese sesame paste – Note 5)
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 garlic clove , finely grated
- 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher salt
Instructions
Spiced meat filling:
- Grate the onion in a bowl using a standard box grater. We want the juices and all! (Note 4)
- Meat filling – Add remaining meat filling ingredients. Mix well with your hands.
- Divide stuffing in 10 (about 55 to 60g per portion, 1/4 cup). Flatten into a semi-circle shape slightly smaller than the pita bread half.
- Stuff – Gently open a pita then place the meat inside. Close, then press to spread to the edge and make it fairly evenly flat. (Is your pita tearing? See Note 5 for tip!)
Cooking Arayes:
- Preheat oven to 50C/120F. Place a rack on a tray. (To keep cooked Arayes warm.)
- Cook – Heat a large frying pan over medium high heat. Spray both sides of the pita with olive oil then place 2 or 3 pieces in the pan (whatever you can fit). 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! {Sandwich press – Note 7}
- Keep warm – Transfer cooked Arayes onto the rack and put in the oven to keep warm. Cook remaining pita.
- Serve – Cut in half if desired (sometimes I do, sometimes I don't!). Pile Arayes onto a serving platter. Serve with Whipped Tahini sauce. Enjoy!
Whipped tahini sauce:
- Place ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Microwave for 15 seconds on high. Whisk again – it should resemble soft whipped cream. Use slightly warm or at room temperature.
Recipe Notes:
- 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.
- Tortillas or other flatbreads – Smear meat on half, fold over like a quesadilla and cook!
Nutrition Information:
Similar crispy breads with tasty things inside
Life of Dozer
This dog really will eat anything. (Well, except kale! 😂)
Have made this 3 times now as lunches for family and friends. It’s easy, extremely yummy and a big hit. But please try this with any leftovers. We had some of the kofta mix left and the yoghurt sauce. Turned the meat mix into pattie burgers and used the sauce instead of mayo. So burger bun both sides coated in the sauce, the pattie, lettuce and tomato (plus chilli for us of course). Best burger ever! Its now our go to burger. Making this recipe just for burgers as well from now on.
Dear Nagi thankyou for the Arayes recipe it is truly sensational. I varied th recipe a little as I had been to the shop already. The Tahhini yogurt whipped became chobani Greek Yogurt lemon and Kewpie Roasted Dressing Japanese mixed together it was really well received
Absolutely delicious will definitely make again, I made it exactly as your recipe
Excellent! Big success with everyone. I live in the land of Lebanese food, so pita bread is hard to find, but you can choose Lebanese bread from five different bakeries even at the smallest fruit shop. I still only cut them in half and it worked beautifully.
As a side note, whenever there is a dressing / dip that includes lemon juice and raw garlic, I put the garlic in the lemon juice for at least 5 minutes to take the raw bite off the garlic (I learnt it from Serious Eats, and it means I can now eat raw garlic and not think of that for the next several hours).
I also used labneh (a Lebanese thick / spreadable yogurt, so thicker than Greek yogurt, and not too sour) instead of plain yogurt for the dip and it still worked a treat, just a very different texture.
Have you tried Lebanese pizza? The ones with labneh and/or shankleesh and veg are amazing, and nowhere near as heavy as Italian pizza).
How would you go about cooking this when freezing? What’s the best way to thaw and cook?
I made these using store bought fenugreek Indian flatbread. What a hit! The only advice I got was to add even more spice. YUM!
Made it with the missus and turned out lovely. So good she made it with her family later that week
I just finished making these. So delicious! However, being that only 2 people are in my household, I was wondering if they can be frozen and reheated.
Another winning recipe, I left out most of the cayenne so would be OK for the kids and it was still tasty 👌
Wow! I made these last night and just needed to comment today what a hit these were with my family! Our teen boys are big eaters and love trying anything so I made these with sides of batata harra & tabbouleh salad. I doubled the batch of arayes for 20 halves total, after dinner our 15yo kept going into the fridge and grabbing another and another to snack on. Our 17yo was stopped from eating the last 1 leftover by my husband who wanted it for lunch the next day! Nagi your recipes are always a hit in our house, the goal is for our our brood to try everything so your tried and true recipes from around the world are much appreciated! Thank you!
Tastes great but the concept didn’t work! Almost need like a pizza pocket or something a bit thicker than Arab bread
Nicole, are you going to try these again? I hope so. I’ve made these 3 times (sorry Nagi, I did change up the spice mixture after the first go around, but I know you will support me 100% because that’s just the kind of person you are and I love you for that) so far and use a thin Lebanese style pita, but and here’s a big but (Ha, I’m so sorry, dad joke), the first 2 times I used 85% lean ground beef and they were perfect, the last time I used 92% lean ground beef and the pitas were soggy. The meat was just too wet I guess. I suppose maybe adding some panko or other bread crumbs might help to soak it up, IDK, but I’ll be sure to stick with the 85% lean ground beef from now on. I hope this helps you in trouble shooting the issue.
Completely delicious and easy to make. The pita was crispy and delicious with beef and as a short cut I used tzatziki dip. Will make the whipped tahini next time.
Just made these beauties for dinner. As with everything on your site they were damn delicious and a sure winner. The whipped tahini yoghurt sauce was the perfect accompaniment and was the ‘Cherry on top’. Many thanks Nagi for your great work.
OMG – can’t stop eating these. This is the best flavoured spice mix I have ever made. Delicious !!!
Amazing! We made this twice, second time i also used the beef recipe as a kebab, delicious! Our new regular recipe!
OMG! Such a delicious, easy and addictive meal, I added extra chilli powder because I love spice and ate it with home made taziki and chilli oil. Thanks Nagi!
Oh my goodness. So good. They disappeared off the table so quickly. My husband has requested them again (already). Added some capsicum as well and will probably add some feta next time. But so very very good.
I have always had wonderful results with recipes from this website and the cookbook. However, I was a little disappointed in these Arayes, so maybe I did something wrong. They tasted delicious, but the pita did not fry up crispy crunchy, like I expected. I did use whole wheat pita & wonder if this was a factor. The sauce is yummy and I’ll definitely make them again.
Made this up for a lovely weekly dinner with friends. 90/10 ground beef.
I am wondering if I put them on a sheet pan at 450 degrees in a convection oven if I can cook more at a time and actually sit down as they scarf them down faster then I fry them.
Can I use my Georgia Forman grill or the griddle on my stove to cook as well. Will be using ground turkey. Always cook throughly.
I made this and used a grill press similar to the George foreman worked out great wasn’t quite a crispy as those show in the video but several factors could be the reason for this.