Last updated on July 28th, 2020 at 12:29 pm
This vegan Sabich sandwich is a twist on the traditional Israeli sandwich using a white bean mixture instead of egg.
What is a Sabich Sandwich?
If you haven't tried a sabich sandwich you are in for a treat.
A Sabich or Sabih sandwich is an Israeli sandwich made by stuffing pita with fried eggplant and hard boiled eggs. Traditionally the sandwich also has potatoes, pickles, tahini sauce, hummus, cabbage and Israeli Amba sauce.
I was introduced to Sabich a few years ago when I was 110 months pregnant. The husband is a manager-type engineer-y person and we move where the work takes us. When I was full to the brim with infant and close to popping, the job took the husband in to the city - about one and a half hours from home in peak traffic. Given my impending poppage, our little unit; me, the husband, the belly and our two beautiful senior canines moved in to town. We found a small dog-friendly house in an area with a large Orthodox Jewish community.
Sabich Etiquette
A word on etiquette. Sabich sandwiches are a meal. A real meal. Not a snack, not a light lunch. A meal. It is messy, drippy, oozy and packed with wonderful flavour. Think trying to eat a mango without any utensils and one hand tied behind your back. But better! The etiquette is there is no etiquette. This is culinary fight club, people. Get your grill around the sandwich, ignore the stares and whatever you do don't mention the glob of hummus on your chin.
Making a Sabich Vegan
My vegan Sabich sandwich is not traditional but is delicious. In lieu of egg, I included a white bean/mayo mix and instead of cabbage I used tabbouleh. Also, I added harissa sauce for a good kick. My roasted garlic and artichoke hummus recipe does the trick but the great thing about this sandwich is that you can buy many of the ingredients ready-made and whip it up in a pinch. I cooked my potatoes the day before and refrigerated them overnight so the only thing left to cook was the eggplant. Simples. Traditionally you might add a tahini sauce like this one from Serious Eats but to be honest, I don't always include it. For a more authentic experience, include it if you're in a hurry, don't.
This vegan Sabich sandwich is healthy, quick, full-bodied and so, so delicious. Full of creamy textures mixed with the acidity of pickles and tabouli, this is my absolute favourite sandwich. Enjoy, x.
If you like this Sabich Sandwich you will love:
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Vegan Sabich Sandwich
Ingredients
- 1 young eggplant medium
- pinch sea salt
- 2 medium firm potatoes peeled and boiled.
- ½ cup canned white beans drained and rinsed well
- 1 tablespoon vegan mayonnaise
- ¼ teaspoon harissa paste more if your like it hotter
- 3 whole dill pickles 1 per pita
- 4 pita bread pockets
- ½ cup hummus
- ½ cup tabbouleh salad
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Chop eggplant in to 1cm cubes.
- Heat a small fry pan and a good lug of olive oil, around 2 tablespoons.
- Season the eggplant with sea salt and add it to the pan to cook on low-medium heat until slightly creamy but still holding it's shape - about 8 minutes. Test to make sure they are not still woody. Continue to cook if needed.
- Remove from the heat and set aside.
- Slice the boiled potatoes in to ½ cm thick slices.
- In a small mixing bowl combine the white beans, mayonnaise and harissa paste.
- Slice the dill pickles in to vertical slices around ½ cm thick.
- Lay the pitas out on a board or plate to build the Sabich sandwich.
- Smear a good amount of hummus on to each bread.
- Cover half the pita with a layer of sliced potato.
- Lay sliced pickle over the potato using a whole pickle per sandwich
- Spoon 2 tablespoons of white bean mix on to the pickle.
- Add 2-3 tablespoons of cooked eggplant.
- Add 2 heaped tablespoons of the tabbouleh.
- Fold the pita in half and serve.
Nutrition
Most vegan meals have tofu if you dont like tofu or soy what do you make.
Hi Lou, sorry for the delayed response. I have a tonne of recipes here without tofu. You could try chickpeas, lentils, young jackfruit (bought in a can), oyster mushrooms. They are all great ingredients to use.
I hope that helps! A.
How would store this recipe to meal prep?
Hi Owen,
I would store the elements separately in smaller containers if you have them. The bean mix and the tabbouleh will both keep in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Hummus keeps well - usually 4 - 5 days after opening. I hope that's helpful. A.
This is the best sandwich I think I’ve ever made. I will say that if you’re planning to make the tabbouleh and hummus from scratch then it gets labor intensive but it was super worth it.
That's so cool Hollie! I am so glad you liked it. I cheat pretty much every time I make this and buy the tabbouleh. I always have hummus on hand but we eat that by the truckload here. Thanks so much for taking the time to write. I really appreciate it x
This looks delicious!
This might be something I could pack for lunch, in lieu of my usual tuna salad sandwich as I try to reduce animal products in my diet.
Hi Daniel,
Thanks so much! This Sabich sandwich is one of the first sandwiches I posted and still one of my favourites. You can prep a lot of the ingredients on a Sunday and make it a couple of times during the week. I hope you make it and well done for making the choice to reduce animal products from your diet. It's great for your health and the planet 🙂 If you ever need any help, just drop me a line.