Sabich A Sandwich Recipe from Israel

By Rekha Kakkaron May 25, 2022, Updated Jan 15, 2025

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Sabich is one of the most delicious sandwiches from Israeli Jewish cuisine. Moist slices of fried eggplant and boiled eggs with a creamy layer of hummus and crunchy Israeli salad drizzled with Amba sauce and tahini in a pita pocket make Sabich an incredibly delicious sandwich.

Falafel might be the popular Middle Eastern sandwich but personally, Sabich the popular Tel Aviv snack is my favourite. I am not saying that doughy balls of chickpeas stuffed in pita AKA falafel in pita are not my favourite but if I have to pick between Sabich and falafel I will go for Sabich.

There is a reason for it! Sabich is a mix of textures and a burst of flavours. The creamy texture of hummus, bits of salads and tart Amba sauce with squishy eggplants and eggs encased inside a pita pocket. Are you drooling yet? Because I am, I guess I will always be besotted with this.

The intense flavors of Sabich are so universal that no matter from which part of the world you belong the first bite will always feel like something familiar. If I have to describe Sabich in one word it would definitely be ‘happiness’.

Origin of Sabich

The word Sabich in Arabic means morning and that’s how this sandwich got its name. This is a typical Iraqi Jewish breakfast sandwich. It is an Israeli-Iraqi hybrid dish and was introduced as Shabbat food.

In Shabbat days, no cooking is allowed and people often eat cold meals like boiled potatoes, fried eggplants or hard boiled eggs.It is popular across Tel Aviv and sold as fast food everywhere by street vendors.

Components Of Sabich

Eggplant: Use round eggplants with fewer seeds. Cut the eggplants into 1/2 inch thick slices. These are fried until tender and creamy;
Hard-boiled egg: You can prepare them as per your choice. Medium boiled or hard-boiled eggs both taste good. I have shared the perfect way to make boiled eggs in Instant pot and boiled eggs in Instant pot.
Amba sauce: It is a pickled-mango sauce. You can use store-bought or make your own at home. I use a homemade one since it is not easily available here.
Pita bread: Use good quality pita bread.
Israeli salad: This is nothing but a mix of finely diced tomato, cucumber, parsley, and lemon juice. I have shared the detailed recipe for Israeli salad before.
Israeli hummus: Israeli hummus is different in taste and texture because of the technique by which it is made. It has a more creamy consistency and chickpeas are of different quality.
Tahini sauce: I use homemade tahini sauce using sesame paste

How to Make it?

Prepare Eggplants

First, rinse the eggplant and cut it into 1/2 inch thick slices. You can fry them as it is but I like to salt them before and remove the liquids which come out of the eggplant. That prevents bitterness and while frying eggplant absorbs less oil. Of course, you can straightaway fry the eggplant slices if you are short on time or if you don’t want oily eggplant which by the way tastes good too.

For Israeli salad, I have shared a couple of easy tricks to make the best salad even with average tomatoes. Chop all the ingredients and make a salad.
Eggs: Boil peel and sliced boiled eggs.
Pita: Once everything is prepared all you need to do is warm the pita and slit it on one side to open it and make a pocket.
Now smear the hummus inside followed by a layer of eggplants, a drizzle of tahini and Amba sauce.
Place sliced eggs and Israeli salad followed by some more tahini sauce and Amba sauce.
Your sabich is ready!

Variations

It is an intriguing sandwich filled with flavors, every bite swings between the tanginess of amba sauce and sweetness of fried egg plant. The best part of this recipe is that you can switch up to any filling as per your taste.

You can add any salads, roasted peppers, parsley, hummus or any particular seasoning or herb of your choice.
Sliced hardboiled egg is traditional but you can try it with soft boiled or fried eggs too.
You can use olives, jalapeños, poached eggs or any savory sauces too.