Arayes

Ingredients

Filling

• 500 glamb mince, with about 20 percent fat
• 1onion, very finely chopped and squeezed dry
• 3 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 2 tbspchopped parsley
• 1tomato, deseeded and finely chopped, optional
• 1 tspground allspice
• 1 tspground cinnamon
• 1 tspblack pepper
• ½ tspground cumin
• 1 tspsalt
• 1 tbsptomato paste, optional

Bread

• 4large pita breads, split into halves

To brush

• olive oil or melted butter

To serve

• tahini sauce
• yoghurt with garlic
• pickles
• fresh mint and tomato

Directions

1. Use lamb mince with about a fifth fat, and ask a butcher for shoulder rather than a lean cut. Lean mince gives dry arayes and, worse, leaves the bread dry since there is no fat to soak into it.
2. Chop it extremely finely, almost to a paste, then wring it out hard in a cloth. Onion juice makes the filling wet, and a wet filling steams the bread instead of frying it. Season the mixture firmly, since the plain bread around it mutes everything. Fry a teaspoon of the mixture and taste it before filling anything.
3. Mix it with your hands until well combined, but do not knead it at length. Unlike kafta on a skewer, this filling does not need to be worked into a sticky paste, since the bread is holding it. Use fresh, soft pita rather than dry or stale bread, which cracks when you fill it. Spread the meat in a thin, even layer over one half, right to the edges.
4. Spread it thinly, no more than about half a centimetre. A thick layer of meat will not cook through before the bread burns, which is the second commonest failure. Press the other half of the pita firmly on top. Press down hard so the meat spreads evenly and the two layers of bread bond to it.
5. Brush both sides generously with olive oil or melted butter. That fat on the outside is what crisps and browns the bread, and unbrushed arayes come out pale and dry. Grill them over charcoal that has burned down to glowing embers, or on a griddle pan over a medium heat.
6. Keep the heat moderate rather than fierce, since the meat inside needs eight to twelve minutes to cook through. A hot fire chars the bread black in three minutes while the lamb inside is still raw.
7. Cook them for five to six minutes a side, pressing them down occasionally with a spatula. Pressing them keeps the bread in contact with the heat and helps the fat soak through. Turn them once or twice as they cook. Now checking that they are done.
8. Cut one open at the edge: the meat should be browned through with no pink remaining. Lamb mince must be cooked through, unlike a whole cut, since mincing distributes surface bacteria throughout.
9. Cut each into halves or quarters and serve them hot. Serve tahini sauce or garlic yoghurt for dipping, with pickles, mint and tomato alongside. The sharp sauce against the rich fatty bread is the balance the plate needs.

Technique

• The lamb fat soaks into the bread from inside, which is the whole point.
• The onion must be squeezed dry or the bread will not crisp.
• Spread the meat thinly, or the bread burns before it cooks.

Substitutions

• Beef mince in place of lamb, which is common.
• Any flatbread that splits into two layers.

Variations

• Made with cheese as well as meat.
• With a hotter filling, using chilli paste.
• Made small, as party pieces.

History

The name means brides, for the bread wrapped around the meat; grilled over charcoal until the fat soaks the pita.

Frequently asked questions

What is Arayes?

Arayes is a street food from Palestine: pita halves packed with spiced minced lamb and grilled until crisp. The name means brides, for the bread wrapped around the meat; grilled over charcoal until the fat soaks the pita.

How long does Arayes take to make?

Arayes takes 20 min of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Arayes?

Yes, within limits. Beef mince in place of lamb, which is common. Any flatbread that splits into two layers.

What is the most important thing to get right in Arayes?

Use lamb mince with about a fifth fat, and ask a butcher for shoulder rather than a lean cut. Lean mince gives dry arayes and, worse, leaves the bread dry since there is no fat to soak into it.