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! 😂)
These were amazing!! I left out the coriander as we don’t like it and they were so nice, quick and easy dinner. I served with Nagi’s coleslaw and corn cobs. Thanks Nagi for making it easy to try and enjoy new things!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Karen! Thanks so much for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x
I loved this recipe! I saw it because of your email newsletter and thought woah… that looks yummy. I made it the next day and I’m in love! Quite quick to make, delicious, and yet simple. I made it with tortillas this time, but next time I’m using pitas for sure! Love, a longtime visitor to the site, but a first time commenter <3
This reminded me of one of my favourites – Gozleme! I made some plain & some with spinach & mozarella included. Much easier than making Gozlemes & the left-overs will be going into the freezer for those emergency dinners. Thanks again for another fantastic recipe Nagi! <3
Loved the flavours but has anyone been able to do this without ripping holes in the pita? What am I doing wrong 🙁
PS Glad you loved it, thanks for coming back to share your thoughts! N x
YES! I should actually reference that in here 🙂 N x
This recipe is good, but 3 tsp of cumin is just too much for my tastes. I live in a very Arab food heavy area, and this is much stronger than anything I’ve had. Maybe it’s my American tastes, but this recipe would be so much better with 1 tsp of cumin instead. I cut it back to 2 and 1/2 tsp and it was still way too much for us. Otherwise, everything turned out good. Just my two cents. Thank you for the recipe. 🙂
Morning Jason! Thanks for sharing your thoughts, absolutely feel free to adjust the spicing to your taste 🙂 This spice mix is a fairly classic Lebanese one which is yes, heavy on cumin!! 🙂 N x
Very quick to make, with a delicious reward. Nagi wins agian!
Hi Nagi,
Just a heads up, none of your videos are working. There are adds in place of where your videos are. They have one of those “write the word you see” boxes underneath but it doesn’t work. It just keeps playing the add. Hope you are able to get them working again, the videos are great!
Thanks!
Easy, delicious and quick.
Perfect for a quick meal and offers maximum taste for minimal effort.
We used middle eastern flatbreads that are handmade at our local supermarket as we don’t like pitas and they worked brilliantly. I also made a small tomato and cucumber accompaniment along with with the yoghurt whip sauce.
It was all delicious with many “mmm yum” around the table.
Thank you Nagi and Chef JB.
Any thoughts from anyone re making the mince the night before so its a quick fill and fry on the day after a busy work day? I have two toddlers who need to eat quick 😋
Middle Easterner and fellow toddler mama here! You could definitely make the mixture in advance. It’s actually common practice to freeze the mixture too for a quick meal ☺️
AND for even more convenience, you could cook them using a sandwich press in between baking paper because who has time for clean ups!
Thanks for reminding me to pop in make ahead tips!!! N x
I never leave a comment before I’ve actually tried a recipe. Just reading the ingredients however I know for sure this is another Nagi winner! The flavors would be even better if made in advance, I will definitely make a big batch and freeze the filling in bags for future use.
Sam here, I dont comment before trying. I agree with ALL your comments and will be freezing portions for a quick lunch or dinner or snack, or just because I want it 🙂
Thank you! Thats what i thought too
I think you could definitely do this. 👍🏻
Appreciate the comment 😊
What type of ground beef for best results? 85% or 93% lean?
This recipe is quick and easy plus taste excellent.
I have try it last night, my teens love them.
I have try many of recipetineats recipes, all of them taste amazing.
Thank you so much for the recipe.
I’ve just received your book Nagi and at a good price I might add and it’s full of sensational recipes that i’m dying to try and of course I have my own photos of Dozer now yay
These look delicious! Every recipe I’ve made of yours has been so easy and good!
Excellente recette, rapide et facile, toute ma famille a adoré!
DOZER give your mamma NAGI a big woof woof for posting the most Delish Arayes Stuffed Pita
Husband and teen LOVE this, thank you so much! Very easy to do and the dip was delicious.
One very happy family…and three sad dogs as it was so yummy there were no left overs 😉
I wonder about putting some cheese in as well. Would that prevent the meat from cooking? And what kind of cheese –
I think I’ll make raita for a dipping sauce.
As usual they do not disappoint. Bought gluten free pita pockets and made myself a meal… delicious 😋
Hi, Nagi
Do you mean Naan pita bread?
No, naan is not pita bread. It is a different type of flatbread from India.
Nana Bakery is a brand name of pita bread in Australia.
Can u make these and freeze them b4 u cook them.
was about to ask the same thing! They would be perfect for work lunches, cook on the sandwich press
I purchased your book Dinner on the week-end and made the Magic Baked chicken fried rice. Absolutely fabulous and so easy to make. Nagi,
you are a star.