Tortang Talong
Essentially an eggplant omelette, a delightful Filipino vegetarian dish. It's pretty simple to make and makes for a nice, well-balanced meal with some rice. In my opinion, the key to this dish is adding some acidity, whether this be through vinegar, citrus, or tomato salsa.
Active Time: 20 min
Total Time: 40 min
Ingredients
> Filipino eggplant (2)
> egg (2-3)
> garlic (4 cloves, minced)
> oil, salt, pepper
Instructions
1. Score the outside skin of the eggplant all over to allow steam to escape during cooking. Broil for around 15-20m, turning often to evenly cook, until the outside is blackened and the eggplant is soft.
2. Transfer the eggplant to a ziplock bag and seal shut. Let sit to steam for ~5m.
3. Remove the eggplant from the ziplock bag, and remove the skin (it should come off easily)
4. Using a fork, gently flatten the eggplant so that it's about 1/4 inch thick.
5. Prepare an egg wash in a large shallow dish by mixing together eggs, salt, and pepper.
6. Cook garlic in a pan for ~1m over medium heat. Coat the eggplant with the egg wash, and add it to the pan. Cook on both sides until slightly browned and egg is cooked through, about a couple of minutes. Optionally, consider adding the remaining egg wash to the pan before flipping it.
7. Serve with rice and some form of citrus! I like making a vinegar + soy sauce dipping sauce, which is simple and delicious.
Notes/Tips:
> Do NOT skip scoring the skin of the eggplant. If you ignore this step, you risk having the eggplant explode.
> Make sure you don't undercook the eggplant when you broil it. It's definitely better to err on the side of overcooked than undercooked in this step. Adjust depending on your broil setting, and feel free to add more time if needed.
> Letting the eggplant sit in the ziplock bag will help make it easier to remove the skin.
> Filipino eggplants are somewhere in between Chinese and Italian eggplant. It's closer in shape to the Chinese one (longer, not as thick), but also has a bit of green near the stem. Probably best to try getting one of these if you can, you should be able to find them at most Asian supermarkets.