Sabich Eggplant Sandwich

Name: Sabich Eggplant Sandwich
Cuisine: Israeli
Ingredients: 2 whole pieces pita; 1 medium eggplant; Canola oil; 2 to matoes (diced); 1 medium cucumber (diced); Juice of 1 lemon; 2 tablespoons parsley (minced); 3 eggs; 2-3 tablespoons hummus; Salt; Pepper

Published by Amy Kritzer Becker on May 14, 2012

By Amy Kritzer Becker

Author of Sweet Noshings · as seen on Food Network, GMA & The NYT

Sabich eggplant sandwich stuffed into a pita

This week is my very last week of culinary school classes. I can’t believe it! I have enjoyed (just about) every minute of school, and am going to miss it. Recently I started thinking about my history with cooking and food. Though I started out making cookies and cupcakes, now nothing makes me happier than feeding a home cooked savory meal to my friends and seeing how much they enjoy it. Isn’t that the best? I think my true love affair with cooking started when I studied abroad in Spain in college. Prior to living in Europe, my diet was a little bland, and I focused more on eating fewer calories so I could drink more Natty than the flavor of my food. But that all changed in Spain. I ate fresh baked French bread, cheeses unlike any Kraft slices I had before, fish caught mere hours before I ate it. It was all unreal! I loved trying new fruits I had never had before, and indulging in rich European chocolates. One favorite meal of mine was to grill up eggplant and put it with some other veggies and goat cheese on some of the aforementioned French bread. Mmm I can almost taste it now! So when I came across the Israeli classic fried eggplant sandwich, the Sabich, I was instantly transported back to Spain, minus the dancing with British tourists on the beach until 7 AM of course. Here is all you need to make sabich.

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First up, slice your eggplant into half inch pieces, season with salt and fry in canola oil on both sides until brown.

While your eggplant is frying, you can make the Israeli salad. Dice up your cucumbers and tomatoes and season with salt, pepper, lemon and parsley.

You can also hard boil your eggs during this time- put eggs in cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 12 minutes. Transfer eggs to an ice bath and peel off shell under water and slice.

For the pita, this easy pita recipe works great! And I cheated and bought hummus this time. Now all you have to do is assemble! Layer hummus, eggplant, Israeli salad and eggs on your pita and dig in! If you are trying to be healthy, simply roast or grill your eggplant instead of fry.

Shalom!

What Is Sabich?

Sabich is a pita stuffed with fried eggplant, hard boiled egg, hummus and Israeli salad, usually finished with tahini and amba. It is one of the great Israeli street foods, and unlike falafel it is barely known outside the country and its diaspora.

The combination sounds unlikely until you eat one. Silky fried eggplant, creamy yolk, cold crunchy salad and a sharp tangy sauce, all in a warm pita. It is substantial without being heavy.

The Iraqi Jewish Origins of Sabich

Sabich came to Israel with Iraqi Jews in the 1950s. In Iraq the components were a Shabbat morning breakfast: eggplant fried the day before, eggs slow cooked overnight in the manner of hamin so they could be eaten on Shabbat without cooking, and salad alongside.

In Israel that breakfast got folded into a pita and sold from stands in Ramat Gan, and it became street food. The long cooked brown eggs, called haminados, are still the traditional choice, though most modern versions simply use a hard boiled egg.

Ingredients You’ll Need

Eggplant. One medium, sliced into half inch rounds and fried until deeply brown. This is the heart of the sandwich.
Pita. Two whole pockets. Fresh matters here; my homemade pita is worth the effort.
Eggs. Three, hard boiled and sliced.
Hummus. Two or three tablespoons, smeared inside the pocket.
Tomatoes, cucumber, lemon and parsley. Diced small for the Israeli salad.
Canola oil, salt and pepper. For frying and seasoning.

How to Make Sabich

Fry the eggplant. Slice into half inch pieces, season with salt, and fry in canola oil on both sides until properly brown. Pale eggplant is undercooked eggplant.
Make the Israeli salad. While the eggplant fries, dice the cucumbers and tomatoes small and season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and parsley.
Boil the eggs. Start them in cold water, bring to a boil and cook 12 minutes. Transfer to an ice bath, peel under water, and slice.
Assemble. Layer hummus, eggplant, Israeli salad and egg into the pita and dig in.

Amba, Tahini and the Other Sauces

A sabich without sauce is only two thirds of a sandwich. The two canonical ones are tahini, poured thin so it runs into everything, and amba, the tangy fermented mango condiment that Iraqi Jews brought from India by way of Baghdad.

Amba is the flavor most people cannot place and then cannot stop thinking about. It is sharp, sour, funky and a little sweet, and it is what makes a sabich taste like a sabich rather than an eggplant sandwich. A drizzle of schug adds heat if you want it.

Tips for the Best Sabich

Salt the eggplant first. Twenty minutes of salting draws out moisture so it fries golden instead of steaming.
Get the oil properly hot. Cool oil gives you greasy, soggy eggplant. It should sizzle on contact.
Drain on a rack, not paper. A rack keeps the bottom crisp; paper towels trap steam.
Warm the pita. Thirty seconds in a dry pan makes it pliable so the pocket does not tear.
Do not skip the amba. If you make one addition to this recipe, make it that.
Layer sauce at both ends. Some at the bottom and some on top, so no bite is dry.

Make It Healthier or Make It Ahead

If you are trying to be healthy, simply roast or grill your eggplant instead of frying. Toss the rounds in olive oil and roast at 425 degrees F for about 25 minutes, flipping once. Less silky, still very good.

Sabich is also a great meal prep sandwich. Fry the eggplant and boil the eggs up to 3 days ahead and keep them in the fridge. The salad is best made the day of, since it weeps once salted. Assemble at the last minute so the pita stays intact.

Sabich FAQ

What does sabich mean?

The most common explanation is that it comes from the Arabic sabah, meaning morning, reflecting its origins as a Shabbat breakfast. Another theory credits Sabich Tzvi, an early vendor in Ramat Gan. Both stories circulate widely in Israel.

Is sabich vegetarian?

Yes, and naturally so. Eggplant, egg, hummus and salad, with no meat anywhere. It is vegetarian rather than vegan because of the egg, and it is pareve, which is part of why it works as a Shabbat food.

What is amba sauce?

A tangy pickled mango condiment, sour and funky and mildly spicy, brought to Iraq from India and then to Israel by Iraqi Jews. It is the signature sabich sauce. Here is my quick amba recipe if you cannot find a jar.

Do I have to fry the eggplant?

Frying gives the silkiest result and is traditional, but roasting or grilling works well and is considerably lighter. Whichever you choose, cook it until genuinely browned, since underdone eggplant is spongy and bitter.

What is the difference between sabich and falafel?

Both are pita sandwiches with salad and tahini, but falafel is built on fried chickpea balls while sabich is built on fried eggplant and hard boiled egg. Sabich is richer and softer; falafel is crunchier.

What kind of egg goes in sabich?

Traditionally haminados, eggs cooked very slowly for hours until the whites turn beige and creamy. A standard hard boiled egg is the everyday substitute and what this recipe uses.

Can I make sabich ahead of time?

Prep the components ahead and assemble to order. Fried eggplant and boiled eggs keep 3 days in the fridge. A fully built sabich goes soggy within the hour, so put it together when you are ready to eat.

More Israeli food worth making: tahini sauce, homemade pita, and the best shakshuka.