Sabich with Cucumber, Tomatoes and Pickled Hot Peppers
👋 Please allow for tomato marinating time. The first time I ever had sabich was in Montreal, and it was a stand-out for me. Like, why am I always eating falafel? Come on, eggplant as the star with the egg? Everyone, this is some low-key hitter. Maybe people don’t want us to know and love the sabich? But we love the sabich and we will tell everyone and we will scream for sabich. We need sabich. It could easily be one of the greats in the world. Thank you, eggplant, you are very kind.
Method
Based on 4 servings, adjust as needed.
Step 1
In a medium bowl, mix together the cherry tomatoes and 1 tbsp of salt (if cooking for 4). Transfer to a fine-mesh strainer and let it macerate for 1 hour, allowing any excess liquid to drain off.
Step 2
Line a plate with paper towels. Heat a medium skillet over medium heat and add most of the of the olive oil. Test the oil with a piece of eggplant; if it sizzles right away, your oil is up to temperature. Add all the eggplant and sear on each side until the eggplant is golden brown, 6 to 7 minutes. Transfer to the paper towel– lined plate to drain and cool.
Step 3
Reserve the skillet for toasting the pita. While the eggplant is cooling, let’s make the tahini dressing. In a food processor, combine the garlic and lemon juice. Blend until the garlic is completely broken down, 1 minute. Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a medium bowl, discarding the pulp. Combine the garlic and lemon juice mixture with the tahini, cumin, a dash of olive oil, and salt. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 1 week, if you like.
Step 4
Once the eggplant is cool, place them in a large bowl. Rinse and pat the tomatoes dry to remove all moisture and salt. Add the salted tomato, cucumber, hard-boiled eggs, pickled peppers (chillis), cabbage, parsley, mint, a squeeze of lemon juice, half of the tahini dressing, the hot sauce, and ** a generous amount of salt*. Gently toss everything together. Add more **tahini dressing, hot sauce, salt, and *lemon juice as desired.
Step 5
In the reserved skillet, drain off the remaining olive oil and toast the pitas or flatbreads until they are warm, 1 minute on each side.
Step 6
Serve the remaining tahini dressing, extra hot sauce and sliced onions on separate plates for your guests and encourage them to build the sabich of their dreams while asking them about what they dream about.
- Ingredients
- Based on 4 servings
-
1 tbsp Salt 1x Maldon Sea Salt Flakes 250g -
150g Green Cabbage, thinly shredded 1x Sainsbury's White Cabbage Each -
4 Hard Boiled Eggs, sliced 1x Sainsbury's British Free Range Eggs Medium x6 -
15g Parsley, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Flat Leaf Parsley 30g -
300g Cucumber, diced 1x Sainsbury's Whole Cucumber -
10g Mint, roughly chopped 1x Sainsbury's Fresh Packed Mint 30g -
2tbsp Hot Sauce, plus more as needed 1x Encona West Indian Hot Pepper Sauce 142ml -
4 Pitas or Flatbreads, toasted 1x Sainsbury's Greek Style Flatbreads x4 -
0.5 Red Onion, thinly sliced 1x Sainsbury's Red Onions Loose -
5 Garlic Cloves, peeled 1x Sainsbury's Garlic -
150ml Lemon Juice, plus extra for the salad 1x Sainsbury's Lemon Juice 250ml -
250g Tahini 1x Sainsbury's Tahini, Inspired to Cook 300g -
0.75 tbsp Ground Cumin 1x Sainsbury's Ground Cumin 43g -
2 Pickled Chillies, roughly chopped, plus extra to serve 1x Aleyna Pickled Chilli Peppers 440g (170g*) -
400g Eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch cubes 2x Sainsbury's Aubergine -
250g Cherry Tomatoes, quartered 1x Sainsbury's Cherry Tomatoes 300g -
80ml Olive Oil, plus 3 tablespoons 1x Sainsbury's Olive Oil 500ml