MIDDLE EASTERN
MISO AUBERGINE SABICH
Sabich is an extremely popular street food in Israel. It is said to have been brought by Iraqui immigrants in the 1950s, where the winning combination of fried aubergine, hard-boiled eggs and a host of punchy condiments, swaddled in a toasted pita won over Israeli taste buds.
Although typically fried, we’ve chosen to roast our aubergine in miso – a winning and much-loved combo. We’ve opted for a softer-yolked 6-minute-egg and stuffed our pitas with salad, tahini sauce and a combination of spicy Zhoug and sweet mango chutney.
An unusual combination of ingredients to be sure, but these sandwiches are dynamite and will convert you as soon as you try them.
Ingredients
THE SABICH
2 Large Pita, toasted
2 Eggs
THE AUBERGINE
1 Large Aubergine, quartered and cut into 1cm slices
1 tbsp. White Miso,
15ml Hot Water,
1 tbsp. Olive Oil,
2 tsp. Sesame Seeds,
Generous Pinch of Salt & Pepper
THE SALAD
1 Little Gem Lettuce, shredded
¼ of a Small Cucumber, halved and finely sliced
1 Large Tomato, diced into 2cm chunks
Small Bunch of Coriander, roughly chopped
Small Bunch of Parsley, roughly chopped
THE TAHINI SAUCE
5 tsp. Tahini,
Juice of ½ a Lemon,
1 Small Garlic Clove, grated
Generous Pinch of Salt & Pepper
TO COOK
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
TO SERVE
Zhoug
Amba Sauce or Mango Chutney
METHOD
THE EGGS
- Place a medium-sized saucepan over a high heat and bring to a rolling simmer.
- Add the eggs to the pan and boil for exactly 6 minutes.
- Transfer the boiled eggs to a bowl of cold water.
- Set aside or refrigerate until required.
TIP – you can also make these eggs hard-boiled or however you prefer your boiled eggs.
THE AUBERGINE
- Place the sliced aubergine in a large sieve or colander, and season generously with salt. Leave to stand over a plate or in the sink for 30 minutes. This will help to draw out any bitter juices from the aubergine.
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (Fan).
- Rinse the aubergine and pat dry before arranging on a baking tray. Drizzle the olive oil over the aubergine and add a pinch of pepper, making sure the aubergine is evenly covered. Transfer to the oven and bake for 10 minutes.
- In a large bowl, mix together the miso paste with the hot water until you achieve a thick glaze. After 10 minutes of roasting, remove the aubergine from the oven and transfer into the bowl with the miso. Toss together until the aubergine pieces are well covered. Return the aubergine to the baking tray and place back into the oven and roast for a further 20 minutes or until cooked through and golden.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with sesame seeds whilst the aubergine is still hot. Set aside until needed.
THE TAHINI SAUCE
- In a mixing bowl, combine the tahini, lemon juice and the garlic. Whisk together until smooth and emulsified. Season to taste with salt and pepper and set aside until needed.
THE SALAD
- Combine all the salad elements and mix together. Set aside until needed.
ASSEMBLING THE SABICH
- Peel the eggs and divide into eighths. Open a toasted pita and add a generous smear of the tahini sauce to the inside, if you like spice, a spoonful of zhoug, if you prefer it sweet, a spoonful of amba sauce, if you feel adventurous – have both! Add in the salad, aubergine and the egg segments and top with an added drizzle of tahini sauce.
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