Fried eggplant sandwich
An Israeli-style fried eggplant sandwich with ground beef and a garlic tahini sauce, served in warm pita bread
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 1000kcal
Ingredients
For the fried eggplants
- 2 eggplants cut into circles to whatever thickness you like
- 1/4 liter olive oil (approximately)
For the tahini sauce
- 2 tbsp tahini high quality, stone-ground (preferably Lebanese or Israeli)
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic minced
- salt & pepper to taste
- water
For the meat
- 500 g ground beef
- 3 tbsp 4-spice or 7-spice found in Middle Eastern markets and spice shops
- salt and pepper
For the sandwiches
- 4 pita breads
- fresh mint, coriander, chili pepper
Instructions
For the fried eggplants
- After slicing the eggplants to your desired thickness, set a wide-bottomed, high-rimmed pot or pan on medium-high heat.
- Fill with approximately 5 cm of olive oil. Heat the oil. When a test slice of eggplant touches the oil and sizzles, you know the oil is hot enough.
- Place the eggplants into the hot oil, as many as you can fit but without crowding them too much. Keep in mind they will shrink a bit as they cook.
- Fry the eggplants for approximately 5 minutes on each side. Flip half way and fry the other side.
- Note: I like to keep checking under my eggplants to see if they're browning. If so, I flip them. If not, I keep frying them. Don't get them too brown because then they'll get really crunchy, but they do need to be cooked through. Also, don't hesitate to add more oil as you go.
- Finish frying the first batch of eggplants, and place them on a plate lined with paper towels as you go. Salt each layer of fried eggplants, add another paper towel on top, and keep going until you're done.
To make the tahini sauce
- In a jar, add the tahini, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and lemon juice. Mix with a spoon until it becomes a thick, dense paste that you can't really mix anymore. Then, slowly add water while mixing until you get a nice, creamy consistency.
To make the meat
- When you're done frying the eggplants, drain most of the leftover olive oil out of the pan, leaving just a little bit. Add the meat to the pan on medium-high heat, then sprinkle with the 4 or 7-spice, salt, and pepper. Stir well and cook until the meat is browned. Set aside.
To assemble the sandwiches
- Warm the pitas in the toaster or oven. Fill them with fried eggplants, meat, and drizzle the tahini sauce on top. Then add whatever fresh herbs and chillies you like!