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Sabich
Sabich: Israeli pita with fried aubergine, egg, tahini and amba
Sabich came to Israel with Iraqi Jews, who ate fried aubergine and hard-boiled eggs on Saturday mornings when no cooking was allowed. In Ramat Gan in the 1950s someone stuffed it all into a pita, and today it is street food all over Tel Aviv: crisp-edged aubergine, sliced egg, hummus, tahini, chopped salad and a spoonful of tangy amba mango pickle, with zhug for heat. It is messy, rich and best eaten standing up with a paper napkin. Chef's tip: salt the aubergine and dry it well before frying; it soaks up far less oil and comes out creamy instead of greasy.
- Total time
- 40 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
For the salad
To assemble
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Sprinkle the aubergine rounds with ⅔ tsp salt, lay them on kitchen paper for 15 minutes, then pat them very dry.
15 minStep 2: Meanwhile, lower 4 eggs into a pan of boiling water and simmer for 10 minutes for firm yolks. Cool in cold water, peel and slice.
10 minStep 3: Heat ½ cup vegetable oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 2 aubergines in batches for 3–4 minutes a side, until deep golden brown outside and completely soft inside when pressed. Drain on kitchen paper. Common mistake: taking them out while still pale and firm; underdone aubergine is spongy and bitter.
15 minStep 4: Mix 1 cucumber, 2 tomatoes, 3 tbsp flat-leaf parsley, 1 tbsp lemon juice and the rest of ⅓ tsp salt for the salad.
Step 5: Whisk 4 tbsp tahini with 4 tbsp cold water and 1 clove garlic until smooth and pourable; it will seize up at first, then loosen as you whisk.
Step 6: Warm 4 pita breads in a dry pan for 30 seconds a side and open the pockets. Spread the inside with 4 oz hummus, then layer in aubergine, egg slices and salad. Drizzle in tahini and 4 tbsp amba (mango pickle sauce), add 2 tsp zhug (green chilli sauce) if you like heat, and eat at once.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 18 g
- Carbs
- 50 g
- Fat
- 33 g
- Fibre
- 9 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does sabich take?
- About 40 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 25 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of eggs?
- 1 tbsp ground flaxseed + 3 tbsp water per egg, left for 5 minutes (baking only; vegan).
- What can I use instead of cucumber?
- Courgette, same weight (in salads, use young ones).
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