ramyaramesh3007These fluffy pitas stuffed with a vegan ‘meat’ filling and paired with a yogurt sauce is addictive and a delicious snack for any time!
Arayes are popular middle-eastern street food consisting of fluffy pitas stuffed with a spiced meat mixture, then grilled or baked until crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside – they are similar to other dishes like sfiha (meat pies) and lahmacun (thin meat-topped flatbreads). The filling is typically made with ground meat, mixed with onions, garlic, parsley, and a blend of warm spices like cumin, paprika and 7-spice.
They’re popular in Lebanese, Palestinian, and Syrian cuisines, but you’ll also find variations across the region. In Palestine, arayes are often grilled over charcoal, giving them a smoky flavor, or baked in traditional taboon ovens.
This vegan version uses TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) for a tasty meat-like alternative blended with aromatics, parsley and ground spices. You can pair Arayes with a yogurt based dip, tahini or my creamy silky smooth hummus recipe.
Ingredients You Need
- fresh pita bread – fresh ones make for the crispiest arayes!
- TVP (textured vegetable protein) – you can also substitute this with a plant based lamb or beef mince of your choice. I use soy chunks, rehydrate them and blend them to make my own TVP.
- aromatics – white onion, tomato, green chili, garlic
- fresh herbs – parsley or coriander
- ground spices – lebanese 7 spice blend, smoked paprika, coriander, cumin and cinnamon powder
- corn starch – to bind the mixture
Allium free substitutions: Omit white onion and garlic. Substitute with a pinch of hing.
Gluten free substitutions: Use gluten free pitas.
Vegan Arayes (Meat Stuffed Pitas)
Ingredients
- 4 fresh pitas
- 2 cups dry TVP or soy chunks
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 medium tomato
- 1 green chili
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 cup parsley or coriander
- 1 tbsp Lebanese 7 spice
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp coriander
- 1/4 tsp cinnamon powder
- 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- 1 lime
- 1.5 tbsp corn starch
- olive oil for frying
Yogurt Dip
- 2 stalks spring onions only white part with a little bit of green
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp lime juice
- 1 cup plant based / dairy free greek yogurt
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Soak TVP or soy chunks in 5 minutes in hot water. Drain excess water. Blend soy chunks into a mince or use TVP as they are.
- Blend onion, tomato, green chili, garlic and parsley into a paste.
- Mix TVP with the paste, spices and corn starch until you get a 'meaty' filling texture.
- Cut each pita into halves or quarters and gently open the pockets. Stuff them with about 3-4 tbsp of the filling, pressing it down lightly to spread evenly.
- Brush the outside of each stuffed pita with olive oil. Pan fry for a few minutes on both sides until crispy.
- Grill – Place on a hot grill for 3 minutes per side until golden brown. Bake – Preheat oven to 200C and bake for 10-12 minutes, flipping halfway.Air-fry – Air fry at 190C for 8-10 minutes until crispy.
- Blend the ingredients for the yogurt sauce until smooth and creamy.
- Serve hot with the yogurt sauce.