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Crispy Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pita – Arayes Lebanese street food – pita bread stuffed with spiced kofta meat, pan fried until crispy! The unique method here is that it's cooked with raw meat inside, so the tasty meat juices soak into and flavor the pita bread as it cooks.
Equipment
frying pan
heatproof bowl
microwave
Labels
Filling and Cooking Instructions Ingredients 5 pita bread the thin pocket type, ~15cm/6" diameter spray or brush with olive oil 1/2 brown onion grated 500 g lamb or beef mince ground meat 2 garlic cloves finely grated 1 tablespoon parsley finely chopped, optional 3 tsp ground coriander3 tsp ground cumin1/2 tsp smoked paprika sub plain paprika 3/4 tsp ground allspice sub mixed spice 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper reduce/omit for less spicy 1 1/4 tsp cooking/kosher saltPreparation Grate the onion in a bowl using a standard box grater. Add remaining meat filling ingredients. Mix well with your hands. Divide stuffing into 10 portions (about 55 to 60g per portion). Flatten into a semi-circle shape slightly smaller than the pita bread half. Gently open a pita then place the meat inside. Close, then press to spread to the edge and make it fairly evenly flat. Preheat oven to 50C/120F. Place a rack on a tray to keep cooked Arayes warm. 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. Cook for about 2 minutes on each side, pressing down lightly with a spatula, until golden and crispy. Transfer cooked Arayes onto the rack and put in the oven to keep warm. Cook remaining pita. Cut in half if desired and serve with Whipped Tahini sauce.
Whipped Tahini Yogurt Sauce Ingredients 1 cup plain yogurt2 tablespoon tahini or Chinese sesame paste 1 tablespoon lemon juice1 garlic clove finely grated 1/2 tsp cooking/kosher saltPreparation Place ingredients in a heatproof bowl and whisk to combine. Microwave for 15 seconds on high. Whisk again until it resembles soft whipped cream. Use slightly warm or at room temperature.