Lebanese · From our kitchen

Arayes — Lebanese Bread Stuffed with Minced Lamb and Grilledعرايس

Flatbread split, packed with spiced minced lamb and pressed onto the grill until the fat renders into the bread and the outside goes shatteringly crisp. Few things with four ingredients are this good.

• Serves4 servings
• Prep20 min
• Cook15 min
• CuisineLebanese

Ingredients

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• 400 gminced lamb, not too lean — 20% fat
• 1small onion, grated and squeezed dry
• 2garlic cloves, crushed
• 3 tbspflat-leaf parsley, very finely chopped
• 1tomato, deseeded and finely diced
• 1 tspbaharat
• ½ tspground cinnamon
• ½ tspAleppo pepper
• 1 tspsalt
• 4Lebanese flatbreads or pita
• 2 tbspolive oil, for brushing

Method

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1. Mix the filling

   Combine the lamb, grated onion, garlic, parsley, tomato, baharat, cinnamon, Aleppo pepper and salt in a bowl. Mix with your hands until it is completely uniform. Squeeze the grated onion dry first — wet onion steams the bread from the inside and you lose the crispness.

2. Test the seasoning

   Fry a teaspoon of the mix and taste it. Raw lamb tells you nothing, and under-seasoned arayes are a waste of good bread. Adjust and mix again.

3. Fill the bread

   Split each flatbread around the edge to open a pocket, or cut it in half if it is already double-layered. Spread the lamb inside in a thin, even layer — no more than about 5mm. Thick filling is the usual mistake: the bread burns before the middle is cooked. Press firmly so the filling reaches the edges.

4. Brush and press

   Brush both outer sides with olive oil. Press each one flat with your palm so the lamb bonds to the bread.

5. Grill

   Over charcoal or on a hot griddle, cook for 5 to 7 minutes a side with something heavy pressing down on them. They are done when the bread is deeply browned and crisp and the fat has soaked through. In an oven, 220°C for 15 minutes on a preheated tray, turning once.

6. Serve

   Cut into triangles and serve immediately with tahini sauce or garlic sauce, pickles and lemon. They do not wait — crisp arayes become soft arayes within ten minutes.

Questions

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