When I get into a new ingredient, I really get into it, and amba is my poison these days! It all started when my instafeed went viral for sabich, the Iraqi Jewish dish, on the #celebritychefbirthright trip. There it was – the fried eggplant, hardboiled egg and Israeli salad-stuffed pita sandwich dripping with amba, and I just new, although I had eaten it various times, that it was time to make amba myself.
So I turned to the most trusted source – Mike Solomonov’s new cookbook, Israeli Soul, for the recipe, and I. was. hooked. Sweet, spicy, tangy, earthy – everything you’d want in a condiment. I smothered it over sabich stuffed eggplant, marinated pargiot in all of it’s glory and made amba london broil. And truth be told – I’ve got some in the fridge right now that’s going to be drizzled over my eggs for lunch. But I wanted to take it a step further and deconstruct it, and with Purim pending any day now, a cocktail was born. I took inspiration from the traditional Bloody Mary – subbing mango juice for tomato, harissa paste for Tabasco sauce, fennel for celery and Israeli pickles for olives. I added a touch of the other prominent amba spices and what I can say? It honestly tastes like amba, but you still want to drink it, and it just works! And let me tell you, I’m no mixologist – a testament to the true deliciousness of this unique ingredient.
L’chaim!
Amba Bloody Harry
1 cup mango juice
1 1/2 oz. vodka
1 tsp harissa paste
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/8 tsp hilba (ground fenugreek seeds)
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp kosher salt
1 egg white
allepo pepper, for garnish
fennel stalk, for garnish
Israeli pickles, for garnish
Method:
Dip the rim of the glass in eggwhite and then in allepo pepper. Set aside to set.
Add all the ingredients besides for the garnishes to a cocktail shaker with ice and shake vigorously. Strain into a glass and garnish with fennel and Israeli pickles.
Related Recipes:
The Hamantini
Strawberry Limonana
Cherry Basil Limonana
Tahini Frappuccino