Description
Grilled Arayes with Creamy Cucumber Salad is a Middle Eastern dish featuring spiced beef stuffed in pita bread, grilled to perfection, and served with a refreshing cucumber salad.
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 lb. ground beef
- 2 shallots
- finely chopped
- 5 garlic cloves
- finely grated
- divided
- 5½ tsp. baharat
- divided
- 3 tsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt
- divided
- 6 pitas with pockets
- halved
- Extra-virgin olive oil (for drizzling)
- Vegetable oil (for grill; optional)
- 3 Tbsp. plain whole-milk yogurt
- 1 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
- 12 oz. Persian cucumbers (about 6)
- halved lengthwise
- sliced crosswise 1” thick
- ⅓ cup coarsely chopped tender herbs (such as parsley
- cilantro
- dill
- and/or chives)
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix the ground beef, shallots, 3 grated garlic cloves, 4 tsp. baharat, and 2 tsp. kosher salt until well combined.
- Stuff the mixture into the pockets of the halved pitas and press gently to seal.
- Drizzle with olive oil and grill on medium-high heat for about 6-8 minutes per side, or until the meat is cooked through and the pita is crispy.
- Meanwhile, in a bowl, combine the yogurt, remaining garlic, lemon juice, remaining 1½ tsp. baharat, cucumbers, and herbs. Mix well to create the salad.
- Serve the grilled arayes hot with the creamy cucumber salad on the side.
Notes
- Ground lamb or a beef-and-lamb mixture can be used instead of all beef.
- Persian or English cucumbers work best because they stay crisp.
- Preheat the grill well before cooking for the best browning and crisp texture.
- Turn the arayes carefully to keep the meat filling inside the pita.
- Serve with tahini, garlic sauce, or other Middle Eastern dips if desired.
- Keep the arayes and cucumber salad stored separately to prevent the pita from becoming soggy.
- Refrigerate cooked arayes for up to 3 days and the cucumber salad for up to 2 days.
- Reheat arayes in the oven for a few minutes to restore their crispness.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: grilling
- Cuisine: Middle Eastern, Lebanese-inspired
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 arayes with cucumber salad
- Calories: 520 kcal
- Sugar: 4 g
- Sodium: 850 mg
- Fat: 28 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 15 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 43 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 29 g
- Cholesterol: 85 mg
Keywords: Grilled Arayes, Creamy Cucumber Salad, Middle Eastern Cuisine, Pita, Beef Recipe