Sabich Sandwich

Written by
Anita Schecter
Professional recipe developer, food photographer, and blogger with more than a decade of experience creating Middle Eastern recipes.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Anita Schecter
Updated 05/04/21
Sabich Sandwich
Anita Schecter
Prep: 15 mins
Cook: 14 mins
Total: 29 mins
Servings: 2 servings
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
1349 Calories
51g Fat
203g Carbs
41g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2
Amount per serving
Calories 1349
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 51g 66%
Saturated Fat 7g 36%
Cholesterol 187mg 62%
Sodium 1923mg 84%
Total Carbohydrate 203g 74%
Dietary Fiber 42g 148%
Total Sugars 51g
Protein 41g
Vitamin C 75mg 374%
Calcium 352mg 27%
Iron 11mg 62%
Potassium 2905mg 62%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Probably the most famous of Middle Eastern sandwiches is the falafel sandwich–several fried falafel balls served inside a pita pocket, topped with Israeli salad and drizzled with tahini. But equally popular in the region (although somewhat less known outside of it) is the sabich sandwich. It's an Iraqi-Israeli creation that features fried eggplant and hard-boiled eggs stuffed into a pita pocket along with Israeli salad, hummus, tahini, and an amba (mango) sauce.

To the uninitiated, it may sound a bit odd but the flavor combination is a real winner. The word sabich comes from the Arabic word for morning and it's thought the sandwich got its name because it was a typical Iraqi Jewish breakfast item. Because no cooking is allowed on the Sabbath, the Iraqi Jews ate this sandwich made of cold, pre-cooked items. These days, it's eaten all day and is commonly sold by street vendors as fast food in open-air markets.

Ingredients

For the Sandwich Fillings

  • 4 small eggplants

  • 2 tablespoons oil, more as needed

  • 2 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced

  • 1/4 cup hummus

  • 1/4 cup tahini sauce (recipe follows)

  • 1 cup Israeli salad (recipe follows)

  • 2 tablespoons amba sauce, more to taste

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • 2 large pita, halved

For the Tahini Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons sesame paste

  • 2 tablespoons water

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

For the Israel Salad:

  • 1 medium tomato, diced

  • 1/2 cup diced English cucumber

  • 1/4 medium red onion, diced

  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Slice the eggplant into rounds and fry in the oil for about 5 to 7 minutes on each side or until golden brown.

  3. Stir together the tahini ingredients, and toss the Israeli salad ingredients together.

  4. To assemble the sandwiches, spread the hummus evenly into the pita pockets and then stuff with the fried eggplant rounds and the sliced hard-boiled eggs. Spoon in the Israeli salad and drizzle with the tahini sauce and amba sauce.

Tip

  • Amba is a spicy mango sauce that can be found in specialty or Middle Eastern markets. However, mango chutney is similar enough and available at most big grocery chains.