In Israel, the Sabich is one of the most popular to-go dishes alongside falafel, and the sandwich specialty is also on the rise in Germany. We reveal what’s in the pita and how you can prepare the vegetarian snack yourself.
Sabich is on everyone’s lips in the streets of Tel Aviv. Whether directly for breakfast or as a snack in between, the sandwich is preparing to overtake its big sister falafel in terms of popularity. Filled with boiled eggs, fried aubergines, hummus, pickles and the spicy sauce Zhug, the pita specialty has blossomed into a star among breakfast snacks.
As always, various sagas and legends entwine around the food genius who first brought the ingredients so masterfully into harmony. One of these stories is that of Sabich Tsvi Halabi, a Jewish refugee from Iraq. He is said to have been the first to sell breakfast sandwiches in Tel Aviv and thus created Arab-Israeli competition for the popular falafel.
Do it yourself: The shopping list
It’s just a sandwich, but one of the masterclass. And because a large number of ingredients contribute to the taste experience, the Sabich is not prepared in two minutes – after all, the filling is rounded off by a sauce duo. You need the following ingredients for four servings.
For the filling
2 small eggplants
4 eggs (size M)
2 mini cucumbers
200 g cherry tomatoes
2 spring onions
6 stalks of coriander green
salt
For the sauce
100 g Tahini (Sesapaste)
2 tbsp lemon juice
½ ground cumin
salt and pepper
For the zhug
½ bunch of parsley
1 bunch of coriander greens
½ green chilli pepper
1 clove of garlic
1 pinch of ground cardamom
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
3 tbsp olive oil
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt
Also olive oil for frying and 4 pita breads
The preparation
The filling is the start: Wash the aubergines, dry them, cut them in half lengthways and cut into slices about one centimeter thick. Sprinkle with salt and let rest for 30 minutes. During this time, boil the eggs hard for about ten minutes, chill them in cold water, peel them and cut them into sixths.
Wash cucumber and tomatoes and cut into cubes. Also clean the spring onions and cut into thin rings. Wash the coriander greens and drain on a kitchen towel. Pluck the leaves from the stems and mix with the cucumber, tomatoes and spring onions in a bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper and let steep for about 20 minutes.
Mix the tahini, lemon juice, cumin and about 70 milliliters of water to a creamy sauce, season with salt and pepper. For the zhug, wash and dry the herbs. Roughly chop the leaves. Wash the chilli pepper, cut in half, remove the seeds and roughly chop like the garlic. Then finely puree the herbs, chilli and garlic with the spices and oil and season with lemon juice and salt.
Dab the aubergine slices with kitchen paper and fry in portions in a little olive oil until golden brown on both sides. Season with salt and pepper and place on kitchen paper to drain off the oil. Cut a pocket into the pita bread and add one or two spoons of tahini sauce, depending on your taste. Fill the bread with eggplant slices, eggs and lettuce and add the zhug as a topping.
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