Sabich (Israeli Vegetarian Sandwich) for #Food of the World

We are visiting the beautiful Middle Eastern country of Israel for this month's Food of the World event. Israeli cuisine includes local dishes by native Israelis and the Jewish dishes brought in by the Jews from the Diaspora. One of the most popular Israeli dish, Shashuka (eggs poached in spicy tomato sauce) was my fist pick for today, but then I saw this mouth watering Sabich sandwich on Serious Eats and it looked too good to pass up.

Sabich is an Israeli street food. It is supposed to be influenced from Iraqi Jewish immigrants. The Israelis took a traditional Iraqi breakfast spread of fried eggplants, boiled eggs etc and put it in a pita and made into a trendy delicacy.
If you know me, then you know my love for eggplant and so I didn't even bother to look for more options. I knew I hit a jackpot when I saw this recipe :-) It is quite simple to make too. Fry some sliced eggplant, boil potatoes and eggs, make tahini sauce and Israeli salad.

OK, I said simple and have a laundry list of components to put together. But these take just a little bit of chopping and tossing, so even though there are quite a few ingredients needed for the recipe, they are probably in your pantry already. Some fancy new ingredients like Amba which is a tangy mango pickle popular in the Middle eastern cuisine can be sourced from a Middle eastern store or even an Indian store (I actually didn't use this, but I'm on the lookout for it, if I find it I'm going to update here).

This is a very filling and absolutely delicious sandwich. All the ingredients and condiments work together and there is an explosion of flavor in every bite. You would need quite a napkins to keep the sauce dripping down your chin, but that is the fun of enjoying this dish.

Recipe adapted from here:

Sabich

Ingredients:

For the Sandwich:
• 1 Small Eggplant, sliced into 1/2" rounds
• 1 Medium Potato, boiled, peeled and sliced into thin circles
• 2 Pita Pockets
• ¼cup Hummus (Homemade or Store-bought)
• As needed Amba
• 2 Eggs, hard boiled and sliced thin (omit for a vegan version)
• As needed Israeli pickles (optional)
For the Tahini Sauce:
• 3tbsp Tahini paste
• 2tsp Lemon juice
• 1 Garlic clove, finely minced
• 3tbsp Warm Water
• 1tsp Parsley, finely chopped
• To taste Salt
For Israeli Salad:
• 1 Tomato, chopped
• 1 Small Cucumber, deseeded and cubed
• 1tbsp Red Onion, finely chopped (optional)
• 2tsp Lemon juice
• 1tbsp Parsley, finely chopped
• To taste Salt

Method:

1. Prep Eggplant: Fry the eggplant rounds in 1/4" oil in a pan. For a healthy alternate, eggplant rounds can be baked (at 400F for about 15~20 minutes) or broiled (2~4 minutes per side) or shallow fried in little bit of oil.
2. Make the tahini sauce: In a small mixing bowl, combine tahini, minced garlic, lemon juice, salt, parsley and warm water. Mix well until smooth.
3. Make the Israeli Salad: In a bowl, combine chopped tomato, cucumber, onion (if using), lemon juice, parsley and salt.
4. To make Sabich: Toast the pita or lightly warm it in the microwave. Cut off the top to open the pocket.
5. Slather the inside of the pocket with hummus and amba. Layer the eggplant, potato, sliced eggs and Israeli salad inside. Now top with the tahini sauce and Enjoy!!

Please visit our cohosts blogs and follow their sites! 

Diane: http://www.simplelivingeating.com 

Adelina: http://www.homemaidsimple.com 

Shey: http://justnotthecakes.blogspot.com 

Mireille: http://www.theschizochef.com/blog/

Usha: http://www.myspicykitchen.net

Pavani: http://www.cookshideout.com

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