Sabih

Inspired by a recipe for zhoug I soon discovered that this Yemeni green chilli sauce is used all over the Middle East to spice up filled pitas. One such traditional filling is an aubergine and egg combination called Sabih. It was so delicious I groaned with pleasure!

Ingredients
serves 4

4 flat breads or pita breads
2 aubergines
4 free-range eggs
salt
ground black pepper

for the hummus
200g dried chickpeas
1½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 tbsp tahini paste
2 lemons, juiced
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp cumin
salt
olive oil

for the tahini sauce
75g tahini paste
60ml water
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 garlic clove, crushed
salt

for the salad
2 ripe tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 cucumbers, deseeded and diced
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp olive oil

for the zhoug
35g fresh coriander
20g flat-leaf parsley
2 green bird's eye chillies
½ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp ground cardamom
¼ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp water

Method

Start by making the hummus.  Soak the chickpeas in water with a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda overnight (or 24 hours).

Then drain the chickpeas and rinse them well. Place the chickpeas in a large pan and cover them with cold water. Add the remaining half a teaspoon of the bicarbonate of soda. Bring it to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer gently until they're tender which should take between 40 minutes to an hour.  When cooked leave them in the water to cool.

Drain the chickpeas from the water, keeping some of the cooking liquid.

In a small bowl mix the tahini with half of the lemon juice and garlic. Then stir in some of the cooking liquid to just loosen up the thick paste.  Next, place the chickpeas with the tahini paste into a food processor and whizz to make a purée.

Add the cumin and season well with salt. Then slowly add more cooking liquid to produce a loose consistency.  Taste and adjust the flavour by adding more garlic, lemon juice or salt as you prefer.

Next slice the aubergines into thick round slices (about 1.5cm thick).  Place them in a colander and salt liberally.  Cover with a damp tea towel and leave for half an hour.

Quarter the tomatoes, deseed them and lightly salt them. Also place them in a sieve or colander (another one) for half an hour.

Prepare the zhoug by simply adding all the ingredients into a food blender and blitz into a paste of a consistency that can be drizzled. Taste and adjust the seasoning as you prefer.  Keep in a sealed container. (It will keep fresh for about a week)

Next prepare the tahini sauce by putting the tahini paste in a bowl then add the lemon juice, garlic and a pinch of salt. Mix the thick paste then slowly add the water until you reach the right consistency, just thin enough to drizzle.  Cover the bowl with clingfilm and set aside.

Make the salad by chopping the tomatoes into small 1cm cubes. Then cut the cucumber in half, scoop out the seeds with a spoon and chop into equally small cubes. In a large bowl mix the tomatoes and cucumber then add the spring onions, chopped parsley, olive oil and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper.

Hard-boil the eggs by placing them in a pan of cold water and bring to the boil. Continue to boil for at least 8 minutes then take off the heat. Cool quickly by running under a cold water tap. Peel carefully and slice thickly.

Rinse the aubergines thoroughly then dry them on kitchen paper.  On a hot griddle pan heat a good amount of olive oil. Fry the aubergine slices until they turn a golden brown in colour, turning them over to cook both sides.

Remove from the pan and drain on kitchen paper. Season with salt.

To serve, place a flat bread on a griddle pan on a low heat to warm it up and lightly toast it.  Place it on a plate then spoon a tablespoon of hummus in the centre.  Spread it out to cover much of the bread.  Put three or four slices of aubergine on top.

Next drizzle with the tahini sauce. Top with a spoonful of the salad and the sliced hard-boiled egg.

Drizzle over some more tahini sauce and finally plenty of the spicy zhoug.

Fold over the flatbread and eat with your hands.