You don't have to be a vegetarian to fall in love with this flavor-packed Sabich Sandwich recipe! This delicious Israeli Sabich sandwich features fresh Middle Easten bread stuffed with eggplant, hard-boiled eggs, pickled mangoes (Amba), Middle Eastern salad, and a drizzle of garlic tahini sauce.
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First, you might be wondering what "Sabich" means. Some say it's just the name of the sandwich. Others say the sandwich is named after Sabich Tsvi Halab, an Iraqi Jew, who some believe was the creator of this tasty sandwich.
Yet another theory suggests that this sandwich got its name from the Arabic word for "morning" which is "Sabah" (صباح). Which raises the question: "Why would this sandwich be called morning?"
The ingredients in a sabich sandwich are typical of quick Iraqi breakfast fare. This would explain why these sandwiches are traditionally served for breakfast. All I could say was: "Pass the fruit loops." I prefer having a sabich sandwich for lunch or dinner.
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😍 Why You'll Love This Recipe
First of all, this sabich sandwich recipe is not only delicious but it's nutritious as well! Although it's a vegetarian sandwich, it's both filling and satisfying. In other words, you'll never miss the meat.
It might seem like a lot of work, but once you have the sandwich components prepared (tahini sauce, pickled mango sauce/amba, and Middle Eastern salad), making the sabich sandwich is as easy as layering the ingredients.
Although traditionally, Laffa Bread or pita bread is used to make this sandwich, flatbread works great too. However, if you do use pita bread, make a slit towards the top, then stuff it with all the yummy ingredients!
🔖 Ingredient & Substitutions
- Eggplant: To make four sandwiches, you will need one large eggplant or a few smaller ones, weighing approximately one pound in total. Whether you peel the eggplant is a matter of preference. Personally, I like to leave the skin on.
- Pickled Mango: Bottled Pickled Mango, or Amba, can be purchased at most Middle Eastern markets. However, you can make your own using my Amba recipe, or you can purchase some on Amazon.
- Tahini Sauce: Tahini sauce is prepared with thinned tahini paste, lemon juice, and garlic. For exact measurements, use the tahini sauce recipe on my blog.
- Salad: Middle Eastern Salad is made with lettuce, tomatoes, onion, and cucumber. Since we are also adding chopped parsley to our Sabich Sandwich, you can mix it into the salad before adding it to the sandwich.
- Falafel: Falafel are optional and not an essential Sabich Sandwich ingredient. However, if you don't mind doing a little extra work, falafel takes the sandwich to a whole new level. See my falafel wrap post!
- Pickled Turnips: Another optional ingredient that can be added to a Sabich Sandwich is pickled turnips. If you have them, use them.
- Boiled Eggs: Try my quick and foolproof Instant Pot hard boiled eggs recipe!
🥙 How to Make A Sabich Sandwich
Step 1: Prepare Middle Eastern Salad (Zalata) and mix in chopped parsley. Next, prepare the Tahini Sauce. Set both aside until needed.
Step 2: Slice the eggplant into ¼"-½" slices and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the eggplant to sweat out its bitterness. After 15 minutes, pat dry.
Step 3: Meanwhile, add eggs to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Cover the saucepan for 12 minutes. Rinse the eggs with cold water, then peel and slice them.
Step 4: Sprinkle the sliced eggplant with black pepper and fry in olive oil on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Pro Tip: For a healthier option, brush the eggplant slices with oil and season with black pepper. Arrange on a parchment-lined tray and bake in a 450-degree F oven for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through.
Step 5: Gather all your ingredients and layer your sandwich. Warm pita bread over a flame or in a pan. Add ¼ of the fried eggplant to the center of each pita. Layer with sliced boiled eggs, pickled mangos, and salad. Finally, drizzle with Tahini Sauce.
🍽 Serving Suggestions
Serve your sabich sandwich with a side of Lebanese hummus, marinated sumac onions, or a fresh Lebanese fattoush salad. Another great side would be some Lebanese garlic sauce (toum).
🤷🏻♀️ Recipe FAQs
Although it looks like Sabich should be pronounced: "Sa Beech" that, in fact, is not the right pronunciation. The correct way to pronounce "Sabich" is "saa-bikh."
The calories in a Sabich Sandwich will vary based on many factors. For example, is the eggplant fried, roasted, or breaded and fried?
The ingredients in the sandwich matter too. Is hummus included? How about Falafel? It's hard to pinpoint the exact calories in a Sabich Sandwich. However, there are approximately 326 calories in this Sabich Sandwich (minus the optional falafel and hummus).
👩🏼🍳 Pro Tips
- The nutritional information is for one sandwich with roasted eggplant, without Falafel.
- Sometimes the eggplant in a Sabich Sandwich is battered before being fried. To do that, dip eggplant in flour, then in beaten eggs, and finally in seasoned breadcrumbs before frying.
- Another popular ingredient that can be added to a Sabich sandwich is Lebanese hummus. Spread hummus on the pita bread before layering the other ingredients.
- Falafel can also be added to Sabich Sandwiches. Fry or air fry the Falafel last before building your Sabich Sandwich so that the falafel are crunchy.
🧆 More Sandwich Recipes
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Ingredients
Method
- Prepare Middle Eastern Salad and mix in chopped parsley. Next, prepare the Tahini Sauce. Set both aside until needed.
- Slice the eggplant into ¼"-½" slices and sprinkle with salt on both sides. Set aside for 15 minutes to allow the eggplant to sweat out its bitterness. After 15 minutes, pat dry.
- Meanwhile, add eggs to a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil then turn off the heat. Cover saucepan for 12 minutes. Rinse the eggs with cold water, then peel and slice them.
- Sprinkle the sliced eggplant with black pepper and fry in olive oil on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
- For a healthier option, brush the eggplant slices with oil and season with black pepper. Arrange on a parchment-lined tray and bake in a 450-degree F oven for 30 minutes. Flip halfway through.
- Gather all your ingredients and layer your sandwich. Warm pita bread over a flame or in a pan. Add ¼ of the fried eggplant in the center of each pita. Layer with sliced boiled eggs, pickled mangos, and salad. Finally, drizzle with Tahini Sauce.
Nutrition
Video
Notes
- The nutrition information is for one sandwich with roasted eggplant, without Falafel.
- Sometimes the eggplant in a Sabich Sandwich is battered before being fried. To do that, dip eggplant in flour then in beaten eggs, and finally in seasoned breadcrumbs before frying.
- Another popular ingredient that can be added to a Sabich sandwich is Lebanese Hummus. Spread hummus on the pita bread before layering the other ingredients.
- Falafel can also be added to Sabich Sandwiches. Fry or air fry the Falafel last before building your Sabich Sandwich so that the falafel are crunchy.
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