The sabich is a glorious Israeli sandwich, its
history rooted in the tradition of the Shabbat breakfast of Israeli Jews. As no
cooking is allowed on the Shabbat, some of the main fillings such as eggs and
fried eggplants (aubergines) are cooked the day before.
Some claim that the sandwich was so named as it
stems from the Arabic word for morning, “sabach,” in reference to the Shabbat
morning meal. Others claim it is named after the restaurateur who popularized
it in Israel. Whatever the origins, it tastes magnificent.
The basic filling is adorned with a variety of garnishes, which
may include Israeli salad (a chopped salad of cucumber and tomatoes), onions
seasoned with sumac, hummus, tahini, skhug (hot sauce), and “amba” (a condiment
containing pickled mango). Sounds good, huh?
Makes 2
INGREDIENTS
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 small eggplant
(aubergine), sliced
2 cold
hard-boiled eggs
½ cucumber, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, seeded and finely chopped
Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Juice of ½−1 lemon
2 oval-shaped pita breads
Onion slices
Ground sumac
Tahini
Hummus
Hot chili sauce
Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Heat a skillet and add some vegetable oil to a depth of ½in (1cm) for
shallow-frying, then cook the eggplant (aubergine) slices in batches. Once
cooked, set aside to drain on paper towels. Peel and slice the eggs.
Mix together the cucumber and tomatoes, season
with salt and pepper, and then add a squeeze of lemon juice. Taste, and add
more if necessary.
Warm the pita breads in a low
oven or under a low broiler (grill), then split them and fill with the egg
slices, eggplant slices, and some of the cucumber and tomato salad.
Sprinkle the onion slices with sumac and add
these to the sandwiches. Drizzle with tahini, then add a blob of hummus and a
dash of hot chili sauce. Sprinkle with parsley and serve at once. Serve any
leftover cucumber and tomato salad on the side, if you like.
