fbpx

Recipe by Daniel Aviv

Arais

add or remove this to/from your favorites
Meat Meat
Easy Easy
10 Servings
Allergens
10 Minutes
Diets

No Diets specified

Imagine a roasted, crispy pita with a smoked aroma filled with well-spiced, juicy, ground beef. That’s what arais is, made using an old Middle Eastern recipe. Moroccan grandmothers make it in a pop-up toaster, and the Lebanese consider it a street food. It’s made a comeback these days and is served in many food establishments.

Ingredients

For Serving

  • 10 pita halves

  • 1/2 cup oil

  • coarse salt

  • pepper

  • tomatoes, cut in half (optional)

Meat filling

  • 1 pound (1/2 kilogram) ground beef (use a fatty meat or grind in a little sheep fat)

  • 1 onion, very finely chopped

  • bunch of parsley, chopped

  • 1 tomato, finely chopped

  • 1 tablespoon Ta’amti Harissa

  • 1 tablespoon pine nuts (optional)

  • salt

  • pepper

Techina

  • salt

  • pepper

Directions

Prepare the Arais

1.

In a large bowl, mix all arais ingredients into a smooth mixture.

2.

Put two tablespoons of the beef mixture into each pita half.

3.

Arrange all filled pitas, side by side, in a sealable container. Cover and wrap container in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to six hours.

4.

To make the techina, blend tahini paste with water, minced garlic, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to an airtight container.

Packaging

1.

Put container with filled pitas directly on top of ice inside a cooler or insulated bag. Keep the techina in the cooler/bag as well, and bring along the oil, a brush for the oil, and bags with salt and pepper.

On-Site Preparation

1.

Brush pita halves with oil on both sides.

2.

Grill on all sides (including open side) until charred. Sprinkle with salt and black pepper. If desired, grill tomatoes until charred.

Serving Suggestion

1.

Serve tahini alongside filled pitas. If you’d like, add tomatoes.

Notes:

Another option is to grill the meat mixture stuffed into small peppers. Together with the tahini, they make a terrific combination.

Credits

Photography by Hudi Greenberger Food Styling and Props by Chavi Feldman

Arais

Please log in to rate

Reviews

Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments