Sabich

About This Recipe

Sabich is one of Tel Aviv's defining street foods and a culinary monument to Iraqi Jewish immigration to Israel. It was invented in the early 1960s by Sabich Halabi, an Iraqi Jew who sold it from his home in Givatayim. The combination of textures is extraordinary: silky fried eggplant, creamy hummus, tangy amba (pickled mango sauce), crunchy fresh vegetables, and the richness of hard-boiled egg. Amba — fragrant with fenugreek and turmeric — is the ingredient that makes sabich irreplaceable.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2 largeeggplants(sliced into 1cm rounds)
• 4 largeeggs(hard-boiled)
• 4 wholepita breads
• 200 ghummus
• 4 tbspamba sauce(pickled mango — or substitute mango chutney)
• 4 tbsptahini
• 2 mediumtomatoes(diced)
• 1 mediumcucumber(diced)
• 1/4 mediumonion(finely diced)
• 2 tbsplemon juice
• 200 mlvegetable oil(for frying)
• 1 tspsalt

Instructions

1. 1

   Fry eggplant

   Fry eggplant slices in oil over medium-high heat until deeply golden on both sides. Drain and season with salt.

2. 2

   Make Israeli salad

   Mix tomatoes, cucumber, and onion with lemon juice and a pinch of salt.

3. 3

   Slice eggs

   Peel and slice hard-boiled eggs.

4. 4

   Warm pita

   Warm pita breads in a dry pan or oven.

5. 5

   Assemble

   Spread hummus inside pita. Layer in eggplant and egg slices. Add Israeli salad. Drizzle with amba and tahini.

Variations

• •

  Add pickled turnip for extra tang

• •

  Include crispy fried potato slices

Storage

All components except fried eggplant keep well 3 days. Fry eggplant fresh and assemble immediately.

Frequently Asked Questions