Aubergine is one of the hot colours of the season, so here’s a simple Filipino eggplant recipe as well. Talong is an omelet made by coating a roasted or broiled eggplant. It’s a great dish to make at home if you are a pyromaniac and own a gas stove. You can also use a broiler, but where’s the fun in that?
Ingredients:
- 1 aubergine or eggplant, preferably the long skinny Japanese variety
- 1 large egg
- salt and pepper to taste
Steps:
(video tutorial on youtube) (pictures on flickr)
- Broil the eggplant under high heat on a baking sheet until skin starts to blacken and blister. if you have a gas stove or grill, roasting it over open flame is faster and tastier.
- After the skin is cool enough to touch, peel the skin off the eggplant. It should come right off. Keep the stem on.
- Beat the egg and season with salt and pepper. Using the stem, dip the eggplant into the egg batter. Use a fork to mash the eggplant meat into a flat, fan-like shape while still inside the batter.
- Fry the coated eggplant over med-high heat in a little olive oil, 1 minute per side or until golden brown. The stem comes in handy for flipping it over.
- Drain the eggplant on paper towel to get rid of excess oil. One eggplant per person makes a hearty meal.
In my family, these omelets are served over steamed rice and accompanied with some sort of pork. I usually eat it with pork chops but have been known to eat it with (gasp) spam as well. If you want to be truly Filipino about it, create a dipping sauce of bagoong and white vinegar to dunk your omelet into.