The new “it” street food in Israel

By Chef Dalia

Meet the “it” Friday challahschnitzel sandwich — the street food version of Israeli kids’ favorite food and the most iconic pre-Shabbat sandwich that took the country by storm.

Over the last few years, you can’t miss the growing trend around Israel of schnitzel on challah, often made on a huge challah or challah roll with layers of matbucha, schnitzel, fried eggplant, tahini and pickles.

This mouthwatering sandwich was a “childhood must” at my house, just like in many Israeli households. Friday noon was always very hectic: the house is quiet and squeaky clean, and a small army of pots and trays filled with delicious food is sitting on the kitchen counter. For lunch, my mom served us a plate of samples from Shabbat pots, but small ones, so we are properly hungry for the main event. And hungry we were!

When my mom headed for the shower, I quickly snuck into the kitchen, tore up a couple of thick chunks of challah, slathered it with matbucha, fried eggplants and a couple of schnitzels (…always schnitzel on Friday). I didn’t dare to touch other stuff, like the spicy fish stew I love so much — my mom would know right away that someone had dug into the pot. But schnitzels are piled high, and no one will notice if a couple are missing.

Decades later, the challahschnitzel-matbucha-eggplant combo quickly became the most popular dish in Israel. Nowadays, it is widely imitated by many fast-food restaurants and is popular at home as well.

The iconic Shabbat sandwich is the sandwich to sink your teeth into for lunch on Fridays when people are hungry, before the big Friday night meal. This delicious sandwich is definitely comfort food, combining fried schnitzel, fried eggplant and matbucha in a challah roll topped with tahini and crunchy Israeli pickles. What’s not to love?

My take on this sandwich is much easier but still equally delicious.

Challah Rolls

Ingredients

• 2 cup warm water

• 3 Tbsp. dry active yeast

• 1/2 cup sugar

• 2 lb. bread flour

• 2 eggs at room temperature

• 1/3 cup oil

• 4 tsp. salt

For the egg wash

• 1 egg yolk

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 1 Tbsp. sugar

• 4 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Directions

• Put the water, yeast and sugar in a glass and stir briefly. Let the mixture sit for 5-10 minutes until it visibly foams.

• Put flour in a bowl and make a hole in the center. Add yeast mixture and egg to the hole in the center and mix for 3 minutes, until well incorporated. Add oil and salt and mix for 8 minutes. Stop the mixer to scrape the sides, as needed.

• Remove bowl from mixer stand. Transfer dough into a lightly greased large bowl covered in plastic wrap and let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.

• Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Divide dough into 14 equal parts. Roll each piece into a ball, arrange on the side of the working surface and cover lightly with a towel.

• Working with one ball at a time, divide each ball into 3 equal parts and roll them into strands of equal length. Connect the three strands at the top and braid them. When you’re done, tuck the ends under the roll and shape it nicely. Transfer to the parchment paper lined baking sheet and continue with the rest of the rolls.

• Cover rolls with a paper towel and let stand until it is almost double in size, about 45 minutes.

• Mix egg yolk with olive oil and sugar, and gently brush the rolls. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

• Bake the rolls for 15 minutes.

• Cool on a cooling rack.

Matboucha (Moroccan tomato dip)

Ingredients

• 2 cans 28 oz. diced tomatoes.

• 1 cup canola oil

• 12 garlic cloves, chopped

• 2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and thinly sliced

• 2 tsp. sugar

• 2 tsp. salt

• 1/2 cup oil

• 2 Tbsp. paprika

• 1 tsp. cumin

• ¼ tsp. turmeric

Directions

• Drain the juice from the tomatoes. Set aside.

• Put 1/2 cup oil in a pot over medium heat. Add garlic and jalapeño and cook until just golden, then add tomatoes, sugar and salt. Bring to boil, reduce heat to low and cook on low simmer for 2 hours (with no lid on), stirring occasionally. Adjust heat to keep at a low simmer, making sure the matbucha does not burn at the bottom of the pot.

• After tomatoes have been cooked for 2 hours, mix ½ cup oil, paprika, cumin and turmeric into the pot. Let tomatoes cook on low simmer for another 10 minutes, uncovered.

Israeli-style schnitzel

Ingredients

• 1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast

• 1 C. all-purpose flour

• 1 C. cornstarch

• 1 tsp. paprika

• 2 large eggs

• 1 Tbsp. sweet chili sauce

• 1 Tbsp. brown mustard

• 1 Tbsp. mayonnaise

• 1½ tsp. salt

• 3 Tbsp. water

• 1½ C. breadcrumbs

• canola oil for frying

Directions

• Slice chicken breast into thin slices and get a few small schnitzels.

• Prepare three medium bowls and a tray to hold the prepared schnitzels.

• Put flour, cornstarch and ½ teaspoon paprika in the first bowl and mix it all together. In the second bowl, put two eggs, chili sauce, mustard and mayonnaise, and beat them lightly with ½ teaspoon salt. Put breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon paprika in the third bowl.

• Dip each chicken piece in the flour mix, shake off any access flour, dip in the egg and then in the breadcrumbs, making sure the schnitzel is nicely coated on all sides. Transfer to a tray and continue with the rest of the chicken.

• Line a baking sheet with a cooling rack.

• Heat 1/2 inch oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. When oil is hot, add a few schnitzels without overcrowding the pan and fry on both sides until golden and fully cooked, about 2-3 minutes per side. Transfer to the cooling rack and repeat with the rest of the schnitzel. Serve immediately.

Fried eggplant

Ingredients

•1 large eggplant

• 1 tsp. salt

• canola oil for frying

Directions

• Peel eggplant (optional) and slice to ¼ inch-thick slices lengthwise. Arrange in a colander and sprinkle each layer with salt. Let eggplant stand in the colander over a large bowl for ½ hour. Dry with paper towels.

• Put 1/2 inch oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. When oil is hot, add eggplant slices and fry on both sides until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a cooling rack.

Assembling the sandwich

• Slice the challah rolls open and generously spread with matboucha. Top with a few schnitzels with fried eggplant between them, then top with tahini and pickles.