Crispy pita on the outside, filled with a spice-scented kafta mixture on the inside. Meat stuffed pitas are perfect to serve as an appetizer at parties, they would be delicious on a mezze platter, and they also work equally well as a main course. I serve them with a fattoush salad or a Shirazi salad with tons of dried mint and a drizzle of pomegranate molasses. And the only thing that makes Lebanese arayes better is a swoop of creamy Lebanese garlic sauce (aka Toum) to dip them in. Some people like to serve meat stuffed pitas with tahini sauce but if you’re a true garlic lover, Toum is magic.
What are Arayes?
Arayes are Middle Eastern street food. Essentially it’s a meat-stuffed pita filled with a meat mixture that is similar to kafta seasoned with minced onions, seasonings, and fresh herbs. Arayes are grilled or pan-fried before serving.
Ingredients for Meat Stuffed Pitas (Arayes)
Ground Beef: You’ll need one pound ground beef. I prefer to use 95-99% lean ground beef for this recipe. Using ground beef with a higher fat content will cause the arayes to be too fatty.Garlic + Onion: Onions provide moisture and tons of flavor to the ground beef mixture. I prefer to pulse the onions in a food processor so that they mix well and blend in with the ground beef. I also use a handful of garlic cloves to help flavor the meat.Parsley: We’ll add a handful of fresh parsley with the onions to make kafta.Seasonings: We’re using a ton of seasonings here! You’ll need ground allspice, hot paprika, ground cumin, cinnamon, Baharat seasoning (7 spice), and kosher salt. If you prefer a little heat, you can also add a pinch of cayenne.Tomato Paste: Tomato paste gives the meat mixture a delicious tomato flavor without making the meat mixture too watery.Pomegranate molasses: Adds a little bit of hang and flavor to the kafta meat. Pomegranate molasses is available in most middle eastern stores and you can also purchase it online. It’s optional but I find that it gives these arayes a beautiful depth of flavor. And you can always use leftovers to make fattoush or even sfeehas (meat pies.)Pitas: Lebanese pita bread is usually very thin and large in size. It’s a two-ply bread that is a bit delicate to work with. You can also use Palestinian bread or Greek pocket pitas for homemade arayes. Oil: for cooking. Any kind of oil will work so you can use a little olive oil, canola oil, or even avocado oil. If you are baking them, just brush the arayes with oil and bake. If you’re frying, add a little bit in the pan before frying a few meat-stuffed pitas at a time.
How to make meat stuffed pitas:
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No baharat seasoning? use a ¼ teaspoon of each of these: ground coriander, ground black pepper, ground cloves, and ground nutmeg instead.Tahini sauce: Mix together 3 cloves garlic pressed, ⅓ cup mayo, ¼ cup tahini, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, a big pinch of kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon warm water in a bowl until smooth.
