🥪 Samoon with amba and egg
This Iraqi street sandwich stuffs a diamond-shaped samoon loaf with sliced boiled egg, falafel and generous spoonfuls of amba, a tangy mango pickle with fenugreek and turmeric. The bread is crusty outside and soft inside, and the amba gives a sour, spicy, golden kick. It is a cheap, filling breakfast or snack sold from carts across Baghdad.
Diets
Allergens
Contains (in a typical recipe):
What it is made of
Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 samoon loaves
- 3 boiled eggs, sliced
- 6 falafel pieces
- 4 tbsp amba (mango pickle)
- Sliced tomato and parsley (optional)
- Salt and pepper
Method
- Warm the samoon and split it open along one side.
- Fill with sliced egg and falafel, seasoning the egg with salt and pepper.
- Spoon in the amba, add tomato and parsley if using, and serve at once.
How to make it lighter
- Bake the falafel instead of frying it, or use fewer pieces and more egg.
- Fill the sandwich with extra tomato and parsley to add volume.
- Have half a samoon with a salad if you want a lighter breakfast.
History
Amba, a tangy mango pickle, is generally said to have reached Iraq from India through trade and has become a signature Iraqi condiment. Samoon filled with boiled egg and amba, often with falafel, is today one of the best-known street breakfasts in Baghdad and other Iraqi cities.
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Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →