Sabich

Sabich (Israeli Stuffed Pita with Fried Aubergine and Amba)

Sabich is a beloved Israeli street food brought by Iraqi Jews, featuring warm pita stuffed with crispy fried aubergine, hard-boiled egg, salad, hummus, and tangy mango amba sauce. It is typically assembled to order so each bite stays fresh and warm.

Prep

20 min

Cook

30 min

Total

50 min

Serves

4

Difficulty

Medium

Recipe ingredients

• •2 large aubergines (eggplants), about 600 g / 21 oz total
• •1 tsp salt, for drawing out bitterness from the aubergine
• •500 ml (about 2 cups) neutral oil, for shallow-frying the aubergine; sunflower or canola
• •4 large eggs
• •4 pieces pita bread, thick Israeli-style pita if available
• •200 g (about 7 oz) hummus, store-bought or homemade; warmed before serving
• •60 ml (1/4 cup) tahini, well-stirred
• •1 tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed
• •60 ml (1/4 cup) cold water, to loosen the tahini sauce
• •1 small cucumber, finely diced
• •2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
• •1 small red onion, thinly sliced
• •15 g (about 1 cup lightly packed) fresh parsley, chopped
• •1 tsp ground cumin
• •0.5 tsp (1/2 tsp) sumac, optional but traditional; adds lemony note
• •1 pinch salt, for the salad
• •60 g (about 1/4 cup) amba (mango sauce), traditional Iraqi-Jewish tangy fermented mango condiment; store-bought is fine, see note
• •1 tbsp green schug or zhoug, optional; spicy herb sauce for serving
• •4 pickles Israeli pickles (or dill cucumber spears), for serving

Steps

1. 1 Slice the aubergines into roughly 1 cm (about 1/3 inch) rounds. Toss with the 1 tsp salt and set in a colander for 20 minutes to draw out moisture and bitterness, then pat thoroughly dry with a clean towel.
2. 2 While the aubergine drains, place the eggs in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Once boiling, cover, remove from heat, and let stand 10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs with fully set yolks (internal temperature of the yolk should reach at least 77 °C / 170 °F). Transfer to cold water, then peel and halve or quarter.
3. 3 Heat about 1 cm (1/2 inch) of neutral oil in a wide skillet over medium heat until a breadcrumb sizzles immediately, around 170 °C / 340 °F. Fry the aubergine slices in a single layer in batches, 2 to 3 minutes per side, until deep golden brown and tender. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle lightly with salt.
4. 4 Make the tahini sauce: whisk the tahini, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt in a bowl. Slowly whisk in cold water, a tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is smooth, pourable, and the consistency of warm honey.
5. 5 Make the Israeli salad: combine the cucumber, tomato, red onion, and parsley in a bowl. Dress with a squeeze of lemon, the ground cumin, sumac if using, and salt to taste.
6. 6 Warm the pita bread: heat each pita in a dry skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds per side, or briefly in a 180 °C / 350 °F oven until soft and pliable. Warm the hummus gently.
7. 7 To assemble, slit each pita open to form a pocket (or split open flat). Spread 2 to 3 tablespoons of warm hummus along the inside, then layer in fried aubergine slices, halved hard-boiled egg, Israeli salad, and a pickle.
8. 8 Drizzle generously with the tahini sauce, spoon over amba to taste, and finish with green schug if using. Serve immediately while the aubergine is still hot and crisp.