Ara’yes (عرايس باللحمة) Recipe

Ara’yes or Arayes are grilled pita bread sandwiches stuffed with minced meat. Arayes are very popular in the Levant region. These crispy meat sandwiches are very easy to prepare and are a great crowd pleaser. I frequently prepare Arayes when I have guests coming over as they are the perfect finger food that everybody loves.

The word Ara’yes in Arabic is the plural word for Arous, meaning bride. I always wondered about the name and thought it a funny name for a food. while I was preparing to write this recipe I did some research to try to find out where it got its name … but couldn’t find anything! If you have any of the history surrounding the name “Arayes” I hope you will share it with us in the comment section I am really curious!

The traditional Arayes recipe calls for minced lamb meat, but you can use beef or a mixture of beef and lamb. Personally I prefer the mixture.

Ara’yes can be baked in the oven, grilled on the barbeque, or toasted in a sandwich toaster. I have heard that some people fry it in a pan with oil, I haven’t tried that and think it will be way too greasy and unnecessary.

Ara’yes are delicious eaten with hummus or with Aryan… a match made in heaven. I hope you enjoy eating them … just beware not to devour them while still very hot or you will end up with a burnt tongue! I am not joking!  As the Ara’yes are baking in the oven you will be taken by the lovely aroma that will fill your house and play with your senses. It will make you feel very hungry and keen on eating them as soon as they are out of the oven. I warned you, the rest is up to you!

Yogurt Chutney Recipe

Chutnies are a basic part of Indian cuisine and very few meals are complete without it! They add flavor and zest to any meal and turn it from ordinary to wow. There are various types of chutney from spicy to tangy to sweet. They come in wet or dry form and use different types of fruit and vegetables plus spices.

Before the spread of modern-day electric blenders, women used stones to mash their chutney and according to our Indian guard, the taste was unbeatable. I normally serve the yogurt chutney with the Biryani recipe I posted on dish-away.

Biryani Recipe

Biryani is my favorite Indian dish! I never skip ordering it whenever we are at an Indian restaurant. For years I kept trying to prepare it at home with recipes provided by friends or books, but they never tasted like the Biryani I love! But I was determined I will learn how to do it; I am not a person that gives up easily.

My strategy was to find an Indian woman and learn it from her. Living in the United Arab Emirates, which has a large number of Indians, I thought that was an easy task. So I set about asking my friends if they had an Indian friend who could teach me… my efforts were useless, I couldn’t find anyone. My next attempt was to try to find an Indian lady in the market, I would go to the supermarket or grocery and start scanning all visitors… result? Unsuccessful. I couldn’t believe it, this was turning into mission impossible!

Then one evening as my husband and I were returning from dinner, we were greeted by our Indian guard and I had an idea… just by the look in my eyes, my husband knew what I was about to do and told me “you are crazy!” But my mind was set, and I asked him “do you know how to cook biryani?”

You cannot imagine my feelings at that time. This action may seem very normal in many parts of the world, but in our culture it is very much out of the norm. Every cell in my body was flushing with anxiety, if I was a Christmas Tree I would probably have lit the whole neighborhood. But all my anxiety disappeared when he answered “sure madam.” Upon hearing that I quickly asked him (before my courage disappeared) “will you teach me?”

This is how I learnt to cook the best biryani ever, even better than the one you get at restaurants. He even thought me how to cook many other Indian dishes that we enjoy at home. As you are preparing this dish you will be taken by the aroma of the spices that will fill your house… heavenly, especially if you ground your spices just before using them.

I hope you try this recipe, you will love it!

Kabseh Spices Mix Recipe

Kabseh is a popular dish in the Arabian Peninsula. It is a rice-based dish that includes vegetables and some sort of meat or chicken. It is heavily seasoned! For us living in the Middle East, we buy ready kabseh seasoning mix, but if you want to prepare your Kabseh Spices Mix at home it is very simple. You will need:

Date Crunchy Balls Recipe

Dates are very popular across the Middle East. In addition to their very sweet taste, Dates are very healthy and a great source of energy. Arabs use Dates a lot for making different kinds of sweets. We use whole Dates as well as pitted, and ground Dates.

Being a person who hates waste, particularly food waste, I keep trying to come-up with different ways to use any leftover ingredients in my cupboards. 

A particularly challenging time is after Christmas when I find my cupboards overflowing with leftover nuts, chocolates, Dates, cereals, jams, marzipan … you name it and probably I will have it in my kitchen!

So each year, January is my exploratory month when I try to come-up with simple, tasty creations out of my leftovers. One of these creations was these delicious “Date Crunchy Balls” that have since become a staple cookie that I serve to my guests.