OferL
07-29-2019, 04:30 AM
Arayes is a way of cooking ground meat inside a pita. An arabic dish from Lebanon or Syria. It's a hit with most people as a starter or main. Depends on how much you eat. I didn't get photos during preparation but it's really very simple and you don't have to follow the recipe precisely. Just use what you like.
Strat with pitas. They need to be thick. Thick bread will hold the meat and absorb the fat and juices without falling apart. You need white bread pitas. Whole grain will definitely fall apart. You want a nice size pita too. Get some pitas and cut in half.
Now ground meat. Traditional arayes is made with ground lamb. Ground beef will also do. Get 80-20 fat. 2 pounds will fill about 5 pitas or 9-10 halves. Mix the ground meat with seasoning. Traditional seasoning for 2 pounds:
1 TBS cumin
2 TBS minced garlic
1/2 mid size thin diced union
1 twig of thin diced parsley
You don't need to follow this. Just put whatever you like. Add heat as much or as little as you like. Mix and let rest 1-2 hours in the fridge.
Make some baste for the pitas. You can just use olive oil. I like to add more flavour:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TBS paprika
1/2 TBS cumin
1/2 TBS dried thyme or oregano
Mix all together and get a brush.
Set your grill to two zone cooking. You treat this thing as a steak.
Stuff the halved pitas with a hand full of meat. Don't over stuff. The sides need to be flat. Make sure the meat reaches the depth of the pita.
Brush each side with the baste. Don't forget the round bottom and the top where the meat pops out.
Cooking starts with the flat top where the pita was cut and the meat shows. Give it a nice sear. I won't write times cause it depends on how hot your grill is. Drop them to one side. Sear and flip. Being oiled means they won't stick to your grates. Once three sides are seared move to the indirect zone. Keep cooking to your favored doneness. I like medium for ground meat. You should use a temp probe and pull them the way you like.
Serving is done by cutting the halves in two. ie quarters...
Eat as is or dip in hummus, tehina, bbq sauce, whatever.
Eat with your hands and get a lot of napkins. It's messy and good.
https://i.imgur.com/7T1yZCJh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HLnxaXXh.jpg
Strat with pitas. They need to be thick. Thick bread will hold the meat and absorb the fat and juices without falling apart. You need white bread pitas. Whole grain will definitely fall apart. You want a nice size pita too. Get some pitas and cut in half.
Now ground meat. Traditional arayes is made with ground lamb. Ground beef will also do. Get 80-20 fat. 2 pounds will fill about 5 pitas or 9-10 halves. Mix the ground meat with seasoning. Traditional seasoning for 2 pounds:
1 TBS cumin
2 TBS minced garlic
1/2 mid size thin diced union
1 twig of thin diced parsley
You don't need to follow this. Just put whatever you like. Add heat as much or as little as you like. Mix and let rest 1-2 hours in the fridge.
Make some baste for the pitas. You can just use olive oil. I like to add more flavour:
1/2 cup olive oil
1 TBS paprika
1/2 TBS cumin
1/2 TBS dried thyme or oregano
Mix all together and get a brush.
Set your grill to two zone cooking. You treat this thing as a steak.
Stuff the halved pitas with a hand full of meat. Don't over stuff. The sides need to be flat. Make sure the meat reaches the depth of the pita.
Brush each side with the baste. Don't forget the round bottom and the top where the meat pops out.
Cooking starts with the flat top where the pita was cut and the meat shows. Give it a nice sear. I won't write times cause it depends on how hot your grill is. Drop them to one side. Sear and flip. Being oiled means they won't stick to your grates. Once three sides are seared move to the indirect zone. Keep cooking to your favored doneness. I like medium for ground meat. You should use a temp probe and pull them the way you like.
Serving is done by cutting the halves in two. ie quarters...
Eat as is or dip in hummus, tehina, bbq sauce, whatever.
Eat with your hands and get a lot of napkins. It's messy and good.
https://i.imgur.com/7T1yZCJh.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HLnxaXXh.jpg