Arayes (Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pita)

Arayes (Lebanese Meat Stuffed Pita) Ingredients

500 g ground beef or lamb1 cup onion5 clove garlic1/2 cup parsley2 tsp tomato paste2 tsp ground allspice or baharat/7 spice (or 1 tsp each)1/2 tsp cayenne or paprika1/2 tsp ground cumin1/2 tsp ground cinnamon1 tsp salt (to taste)1 tbsp pomegranate molasses (optional)5 pita or Lebanese/Palestinian flatbread (quartered)olive oil (for frying)

Steps

Add onions, garlic & parsley into a blender or food processor & pulse till finely minced.Transfer mixture into a big bowl along with ground meat, tomato paste, ground spices, salt & molasses, mix thoroughly.Place roughly 1-2 tbsp of meat mixture inside each pita quarter & gently press down with a spoon.Repeat with remaining mixture & pitas.Heat pan over medium high heat & brush both sides of arayes with olive oil.Place 4 arayes & cook for abt 3-5 mins each side or until golden & meat is cooked to desired doneness.Alternatively, bake arayes on a wire rack placed on top of a baking sheet in a 200 deg C preheated oven for 15-20 mins or air fry at 180 deg C for 10-15 mins (flipping halfway) till meat is cooked to desired doneness.Garnish with chopped parsley & lemon wedges, serve with garlic (toum) or tahini sauce.* Whichever cooking method used, time taken for meat to be done depends on thickness of pita used.