Sabich (Israeli Fried Aubergine Pita)

About This Recipe

Sabich is one of the great street foods of Israel and a deep window into Iraqi-Jewish cuisine. It was created by Iraqi Jewish immigrants who settled around Givataim and Ramat Gan in the 1940s and 50s, and was originally eaten on Shabbat morning (when cooking was forbidden) using pre-cooked aubergine and hard-boiled eggs. The combination of fried aubergine, egg, amba (a pungent Iraqi-Jewish pickled mango sauce) and tahini is uniquely Israeli — no other cuisine in the world has this particular combination. The amba sauce is the defining element: a fermented, intensely flavoured condiment that smells almost alarming but transforms everything it touches.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 2large aubergines(sliced into 1cm rounds)
• 4pita breads(warm)
• 4eggs(hard-boiled, sliced)
• 150 mltahini(thinned with water and lemon to pouring consistency)
• 4 tbspamba (mango pickle sauce)(from Middle Eastern grocery stores)
• vegetable oilfor frying
• 2tomatoes(diced small (Israeli salad))
• 1cucumber(diced small (Israeli salad))
• 0.5onion(diced small (Israeli salad))
• 2 tbspfresh parsley(chopped (Israeli salad))
• 1 tbsplemon juice
• 1 tspsalt
• 2 tbspzhug (green chilli sauce)(to serve — optional)

Instructions

1. 1

   Salt and fry aubergine

   Salt aubergine slices on both sides, rest 15 min, pat dry. Heat 1cm vegetable oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Fry slices in batches 3 min per side until deep golden-brown. Drain on paper towels.

2. 2

   Make Israeli salad

   Combine diced tomato, cucumber, onion and parsley. Dress with lemon juice, salt and a drizzle of olive oil.

3. 3

   Make tahini sauce

   Whisk tahini with water (3–4 tbsp), lemon juice and a pinch of salt until smooth and pourable — like double cream consistency.

4. 4

   Assemble

   Open each warm pita into a pocket. Layer in: 2–3 slices fried aubergine, sliced hard-boiled egg, Israeli salad, a generous spoonful of tahini, and a spoonful of amba sauce.

   Amba sauce is non-negotiable — it is the defining flavour of sabich. If unavailable, use a mixture of mango chutney and a little white wine vinegar as an imperfect substitute.

5. 5

   Finish

   Add zhug (green chilli sauce) if desired. Eat immediately while the aubergine is warm.

Variations

• •

  Vegan: omit the egg — the aubergine, tahini and amba are complete without it

• •

  Add pickled cabbage or turnip (the Israeli street food standard)

• •

  Potato version: add fried potato slices alongside the aubergine

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

Fried aubergine keeps 2 days refrigerated — reheat in a pan. Assemble pitas fresh.

Frequently Asked Questions