Arayes (Lebanese meat-stuffed pita)
Middle Eats · ♥ 6.7K likes · 175.8K views · 8 min video
Read about ground beef in the BrightCulinary Book
Timestamp
Ingredients
Method
Techniques
- 1 whole medium brown onion
- 30 g parsley
Peel the onion and cut it into big pieces; roughly chop the parsley, removing large stalks.
Onion and parsley mixture
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1–2 cloves garlic cloves
Process the onion and parsley with the olive oil in a food processor or blender until well minced, scraping down the sides; no whole leaves or stalks should remain.
Peel and chop the garlic small, add a little of the salt and scrape it against the board with the back of the knife until it becomes a paste.
- 500 g minced beef
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp boharrat or all spice
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 0.125 tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Put the beef in a mixing bowl with the salt, baharat or allspice, pepper, cinnamon and cayenne.
- 1½ tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 5–6 loaves pita bread or thin Lebanese bread
Add the garlic, the pomegranate molasses and the onion mixture; knead until fully incorporated, scraping the bottom of the bowl.
Microwave the pita 30 to 60 seconds until it starts to steam; slice in half (quarters if round) and, while hot, work a knife between the layers to open a pocket. Lebanese bread is quartered and separated without microwaving.
Choosing and opening the bread
Fill each piece about halfway with a few tablespoons of filling and press it to the edges, just under one centimeter thick for pita, about half a centimeter for Lebanese bread.
Stuffing the pockets
Cook in a grill pan preheated on medium high until they sizzle and splutter loudly, about four minutes per side; flip and cook the same on the second side until charred.