This month, ICS staff member Dana is going to walk you through using your eggplant to prepare Tortang Talong - a Filipino eggplant omelet!
I started cooking with my grandmother, Mommy-lo, when I was four years old. I would sneak down to the kitchen at 5am to join the household staff for their daily dried fish and rice breakfast, then I would proudly take my place next to Mommy-lo to watch her whip up family recipes handed down from her mother and aunties.
Tortang Talong (tor-tang-ta-long) is one of those dishes that reminds me of growing up in Manila and fond memories of cooking and telling food-centered stories with my grandmother. Making this dish is a multi-step process, from grilling and peeling the eggplant to seasoning the filling and making the omelet, but I promise in the end it’s all worth it!
Prep time: 10 mins | Cook time: 1 hr 30 mins
Total time: 1 hr 40 mins
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
· 4 small eggplants, skin on
· Cornstarch for light dusting
· 4 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
· 1 small onion, chopped
· 3 cloves garlic, smashed and minced
· 1 pound ground beef
· 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
· 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
· 8 eggs, divided
· Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
1. Poke 3-4 holes on every side of each eggplant and place on a hot grill. Cook this until the eggplants are soft to touch. Make sure to turn your vegetables every now and then so it doesn’t burn.
2. You can also choose to bake the eggplant (uncovered) in a 350˚ preheated oven for an hour. Turn the vegetables over after 30 mins to cook evenly.
3. Let the eggplants cool completely then carefully peel off the skin. As you slowly peel the skin, scrape the eggplant with a knife to ensure that you get as much of the eggplant meat as possible. Keep the stem end of the eggplant intact. The stem is what makes this omelet look good!
4. Holding the stem, slightly flatten each eggplant with a fork so it fans out into a wide teardrop shape. Season with salt and pepper and dust with a little cornstarch. Set aside.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté onions and garlic until soft (3-5 mins). Add ground beef and brown the meat; mixing well with the onions and garlic. Drain the meat and return to the skillet. Add soy sauce and oyster sauce and cook for another minute. Set aside.
6. Make the omelets: In a small bowl, beat 2 eggs and season with salt and pepper. In a larger bowl, beat the remaining 6 eggs and add the meat mixture into the bowl. Holding the stem, dip the flattened eggplant into the smaller bowl of beaten eggs to coat both sides. Be careful not to get egg on the stem. Using the same skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat. Add the egg-soaked eggplant, then pour ¼ cup of the meat/egg mixture over the top. Season with salt and pepper. Cook for 3 mins on one side or until the bottom of the eggplant has set. Drizzle a bit more of the beaten egg over the eggplant, then carefully flip over and cook the other side for 2 mins. Set aside and repeat the process for each remaining eggplant.
7. Serve with white rice and a side of tomato ketchup. If you’re really daring, serve it with banana ketchup (the preferred Filipino way). Enjoy!