Arayes are the most delicious Middle Eastern pita pockets filled with spiced lamb or beef mince and grilled to perfection! They can be found across the Middle East especially in Lebanon and Israel.
Ingredients
800g Lamb Mince
1 Tsp Smoked Paprika
1 Tsp Cumin
1 Tsp Ground Coriander
¼ Tsp Chilli Flakes
1 Tsp Brown Sugar
1 Small Bunch Of Parsley, Chopped
4 Garlic Cloves, Finally Chopped
2 Tsp Sesame Seeds
4 Pita Pockets
Garlic Tahini Sauce
6 Tbsp Tahini
2 Garlic Cloves
2 Lemons, Juice, And Zest
1 Tbsp Honey
Salt And Pepper
Sriracha hot sauce for serving
Method
Grab a large bowl add the mince, chopped parsley, cumin powder, coriander, chili, sugar, chopped garlic, sesame seeds, salt and pepper and mix together until all those delish flavours combine.
Now get your pitas and cut in half lengthways. Being careful not to burst the pitas and try to evenly divide the meat mix into each pita, getting as much meat as possible in those tasty pockets. Now with a sharp knife cut the pitas in half to create lots of triangle shaped Arayes (you can leave them as larger pockets if you prefer, it just takes longer to cook).
Heat up a griddle pan or large frying pan on a medium to high heat. When the pan is hot add the Arayes open side down first. Cook on each side for 5 minutes before flipping over. Repeat this process until all the Arayes are fully browned all over. Depending they should be fully cooked at this stage however this all depends on how big they are, so I recommend cutting one in half – as a sacrifice - to see if it’s cooked through. If they are still a little pink just give them another couple minutes in the pan or pop them into a hot oven for 10 minutes.
To make the sauce, peel and finally grate the garlic cloves and pop into a bowl with the tahini, lemon juice & zest, honey, salt, and pepper. Add 2 tbsp of hot water from the kettle and whisk the mix together. The sauce will loosen up into a lovely runny sauce perfect for drizzling but if it’s still thick and chunky just add another dash of hot water.
Arayes are perfect enjoyed in the garden on a summers evening, so I love grabbing a rustic old chopping board, spreading the Arayes across the board drizzling them with the tahini sauce and the sriracha sauce. I’ll always serve these with some hummus and salads!
