Pin It I stumbled onto sabich on a sweltering afternoon in Tel Aviv, wandering through the Carmel Market with no real plan except to eat my way through the chaos. A vendor was assembling these magnificent pita sandwiches with practiced speed, layering golden eggplant, creamy tahini, and a bright salad that caught the light. One bite and I understood why locals queued for this every day—it's humble, it's satisfying, and somehow it tastes like summer and friendship all at once.
Last winter I made this for friends who'd never heard of it, and I watched their faces light up the same way mine did in that Tel Aviv market. There's something about assembling these sandwiches together—everyone choosing their own ratio of tahini to hot sauce, building exactly what they wanted. By the end of the meal, we were all laughing about how we'd made the same sandwich three different ways.
Ingredients
- Eggplant: Two medium ones work better than one large; they fry faster and get more evenly golden, and the skin renders down beautifully when sliced thin.
- All-purpose flour: Just enough to coat and crisp the edges—too much flour makes them taste floury instead of letting the eggplant shine through.
- Vegetable oil: You need a full cup because eggplant drinks oil like it's going out of style, and the depth matters more than the amount.
- Eggs: Hard-boiled at exactly nine minutes gives you that tender yolk that's still a little creamy in the center, never chalky.
- Tomatoes and cucumber: Dice these small and uniform so every bite of salad feels intentional, not like you're chewing on chunks.
- Tahini paste: The real deal, not tahini made from peanuts—the nutty, earthy flavor is what makes this feel authentic.
- Lemon juice: Both in the tahini and the salad because acidity is what brings every element into focus and makes your mouth happy.
- Pita bread: Warm it just before serving so it's soft enough to hold everything but still has a bit of structure.
- Amba: This pickled mango sauce is the secret weapon—optional only if you can't find it, but it adds a funkiness that makes everything taste right.
Instructions
- Salt and rest the eggplant:
- Slice your eggplants into rounds, salt them generously, and let them sit for fifteen minutes on a clean kitchen towel. You'll watch the moisture bead up on the surface—that's what you want, because it means the fried eggplant will be crispy instead of waterlogged.
- Flour and fry until golden:
- Pat the eggplant slices dry, dust them lightly in flour, and fry in hot oil until both sides are deep golden brown and the edges start to curl slightly. Listen for that sizzle and smell the sweet, nutty eggplant fragrance—that's your signal it's almost done.
- Boil eggs to creamy perfection:
- While the eggplant fries, get your eggs started in cold water and bring them to a boil, then drop the heat and let them simmer for nine minutes exactly. The ice bath stops them from cooking further and makes peeling infinitely easier.
- Toss the Israeli salad:
- Combine your diced tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, and fresh parsley with a hit of lemon juice and olive oil. Taste as you go and season generously—a great salad should make your eyes close a little when you eat it.
- Whisk tahini into silk:
- Mix tahini, water, lemon juice, and minced garlic until it's completely smooth and pourable like a thick cream. If it seizes and gets grainy, you've added water too fast; add it slowly while whisking constantly until it relaxes back into silk.
- Warm the pita and build:
- Toast your pita bread just until it's warm and pliable, then slice it open to create a pocket and start layering: eggplant first, then eggs, then the bright Israeli salad, then a generous drizzle of tahini sauce.
- Finish and serve hot:
- Top with cilantro, a spoonful of amba if you've got it, pickles if you want crunch, and hot sauce to taste. Serve immediately while everything is still warm and the tahini still has that luxurious quality.
Pin It There's a moment when you bite into a properly made sabich and everything comes together at once—the warm, crispy eggplant melting into the cool, bright salad, the tahini binding it all into something that feels complete. That moment is why this dish has survived generations of Tel Aviv summers.
The Art of Frying Eggplant
Fried eggplant seems intimidating until you realize it's mostly about patience and heat. The oil needs to be hot enough that the eggplant sizzles immediately—too cool and it becomes a greasy sponge, too hot and the outside burns before the inside softens. I learned this by burning the first batch and watching a neighbor laugh gently and show me how to test the oil's readiness with the edge of a slice. Once you feel that confidence in your hand, you stop worrying about getting it wrong.
Tahini Sauce as the Everything Sauce
After making this sabich a dozen times, I started keeping extra tahini sauce in the refrigerator to drizzle on roasted vegetables, grilled chickpeas, and leftover roasted chicken. It's forgiving—a little too thick, add water; a little too thin, add more tahini; too bland, squeeze more lemon. The ratio I use is rough, which is the whole point; tahini sauce should taste like what you're in the mood for that day.
Making It Your Own
The skeleton of sabich is ancient and honored, but the way you fill it is completely yours. I've made versions with roasted cauliflower instead of eggplant on slow weekends, and versions where I skip the hot sauce entirely because my mood was gentler that night. The traditional way is the right way until the moment it's not, and that's when the dish becomes yours to keep.
- Try adding a handful of fresh mint to the Israeli salad for brightness that shifts the whole flavor.
- Roasted beets work beautifully if you want earthiness instead of the traditional raw salad.
- A squeeze of harissa in the tahini adds a gentle heat that lingers on your tongue all day.
Pin It Sabich is the kind of food that makes you understand why people fall in love with a place. It's simple, it's generous, and it tastes like home the moment you bite into it.
Recipe Questions & Answers
- → How should the eggplant be prepared for best texture?
Slice the eggplant into 1/2-inch rounds, sprinkle with salt to draw out moisture, then lightly dredge in flour before frying until golden crisp.
- → What makes the tahini sauce creamy and smooth?
Whisk tahini paste with water, lemon juice, minced garlic, and salt until well combined, adjusting water for desired consistency.
- → How is the Israeli salad seasoned?
Diced tomatoes, cucumbers, red onion, and parsley are tossed with fresh lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper.
- → Can this dish be adapted for vegan diets?
Omit the boiled eggs or substitute with tofu, and use gluten-free pita for a fully vegan and gluten-free variation.
- → What optional toppings enhance the flavor?
Pickled mango sauce (amba), sliced pickles, hot sauce, and fresh cilantro provide extra layers of zest and aroma.
- → How long does it take to prepare and cook this dish?
The total time including preparation and cooking is approximately 50 minutes.