The ultimate Iraqi street food sandwich of fried eggplant slices, fresh vegetables, tahini sauce, and amba stuffed into warm samoon bread, a beloved Baghdad lunch staple.
Ingredients
2 large eggplants, sliced
4 samoon bread rolls
2 tomatoes, sliced
1 cucumber, sliced
1 onion, sliced into rings
1/4 cup tahini sauce
2 tbsp amba (mango pickle)
1 cup flour for dredging
Oil for frying
Salt to taste
Fresh mint leaves
Instructions
1Salt the eggplant slices and let them sit for 15 minutes, then pat dry, dredge in flour, and deep-fry in hot oil until golden brown on both sides.
2Warm the samoon bread rolls in the oven or on a griddle until soft and slightly toasted on the outside.
3Split each samoon roll and spread one side with tahini sauce and the other with amba mango pickle.
4Layer the fried eggplant slices inside the bread with sliced tomatoes, cucumber, onion rings, and fresh mint leaves, then press together and serve immediately.
Did You Know?
Sabach vendors in Baghdad's old markets have been making this sandwich the same way for generations, and the best ones are said to be found on Rasheed Street in the heart of old Baghdad.