A sabich is traditionally pita or laffa bread stuffed with fried eggplant, hard-boiled egg, chopped salad, amba, and tahini sauce. It’s an Iraqi Jewish street food that has become a staple of Israeli cuisine. This creative twist features watermelon salad and watermelon rind “amba.” Amba is traditionally a super pungent, tangy mango sauce popular in Iraq and Israel. In this version, Chef Magnus Young, chef de cuisine and culinary manager at the Bruschetteria Food Truck for Clif Family Wines in St. Helena, CA, makes the sauce using watermelon rind in place of mango. This dish is a delicious way to use all parts of the watermelon and reduce food waste.
Get the recipe here: https://www.ciaprochef.com/watermelon/sabich/
—————————————————————————————————————————————————————
CIA: https://www.ciachef.edu
CIA for Enthusiasts: https://www.ciafoodies.com
CIA at Copia: https://www.ciaatcopia.com
CIA ProChef: https://www.ciaprochef.com
Founded in 1946, the Culinary Institute of America is the world’s premier culinary college. Dedicated to developing leaders in foodservice and hospitality, the independent, not-for-profit CIA offers master’s, bachelor’s, and associate degrees with majors in culinary arts, baking and pastry arts, food business management, hospitality management, culinary science, and applied food studies. The college also offers executive education, certificate programs, and courses for professionals and enthusiasts. Its conferences, leadership initiatives, and consulting services have made CIA the think tank of the food industry and its worldwide network of more than 50,000 alumni includes innovators in every area of the food world. CIA has locations in New York, California, Texas, and Singapore.
[Music]
My name is Magnus Young and I’m the chef
de cuisine and culinary manager at the Clif
Family Winery and Bruschetteria Food Truck in St.
Helena, California. The food truck can be found
parked outside the Clif Family Tasting Room, and
we serve a seasonally-inspired menu with organic
produce from our farm on Howell Mountain. A
sabich is traditionally pita or laffa bread
stuffed with fried eggplants, hard boiled egg,
chopped salad, amba and tahini sauce. It’s an
Iraqi Jewish street food that has become a
staple of Israeli cuisine. This Sabich with
Watermelon Salad and Watermelon Rind "Amba" is a
creative and contemporary take on an Israeli-style
sabich. Let’s start by making one of the sauces:
Watermelon Rind Amba. Amba is a super pungent,
tangy mango sauce popular in Iraq and Israel. In
this version, I’m going to make the sauce using
watermelon rind in place of mango. Considering
that watermelon is actually in the gourd family,
you can think of using the watermelon rind
just like you would use a squash. It has a
cucumbery flavor and texture. Using the rind also
helps reduce food waste. In a large sauté pan,
sweat roughly chopped watermelon rind with
shallots and garlic in olive oil until it
reduces by half. Here I have a spice mixture
of yellow mustard, fenugreek, cumin, sumac,
and turmeric. Add the spices to bloom. Add apple
cider vinegar, then reduce by a quarter. Add a
pinch of salt to taste. Purée the mixture in
a blender until smooth. Add some lemon juice
and a little more salt to taste if needed.
Now, onto the Watermelon Salad. Usually
this salad is made with tomatoes, but instead
I’m using diced watermelon: the juicy flesh
and more savory rind. In a large mixing bowl,
toss together 8 oz of diced watermelon flesh,
diced watermelon rind, diced Persian cucumber,
diced red onion, and finely chopped parsley.
Combine with 1/4 cup of olive oil, lemon juice,
and adjust seasoning with salt as needed.
Here I have eggplants that I’ll partially peel
in strips, and cut into ½“-thick slices. If
you’re using a larger eggplant, you could
cut the pieces into rounds instead. Lay
the eggplant onto a parchment-lined sheet
tray, season each piece with salt pepper
and a drizzle of olive oil, and and bake at 400°F
for 20-30 minutes, until golden brown and tender.
Now we’re ready to put our sabich together! Fill
each pita pocket with a little tahini sauce,
watermelon rind amba, slices of roasted
eggplant, quartered hard-boiled eggs,
and watermelon salad. Top each sabich with
more watermelon rind amba and tahini sauce.
A sabich really is one of the world’s best
sandwiches, and the addition of watermelon
brings a bright and fruity flavor and a
crunchy refreshing texture. [Music closes]
1 Comment
👍🫶👏👏😋❤️🐞🍀👋