Eggplant Omelette (Tortang Talong)

How to cook Tortang Talong(Eggplant Omelette)

A lot of people think that eggplant has no or has very low nutrients. This is a big NO! This shiny, purple and spongy vegetable has an extensive content of vitamins and minerals and that is including the skin. Eggplant is a staple food in the Philippines. You can either boil, fry, grill, sautee, bake, and mix them with soups or salads. Tortang Talong(eggplant) as we call it, is a famous vegetable recipe and one of the most-loved dish by Filipinos. However, due to the time and process it requires, either they would just buy or order as take-out, or disregard their cravings to eat them and forget all about it. It is usually mixed with sauteed ground meat on top and added to the batter. The usual process is grilling the eggplant until it becomes soft then peeling the skin and kind of mushing it so that meat and egg mixture will lay flat on top of it. This adds great flavor to the dish itself. However, the meat is not really required if you don’t want to eat any meat with it. When I have time and in the mood to grill, I do it. However, if I’m lazy and don’t have much time, the way I make them is way easier and faster. I just boil them for several minutes until it becomes soft and mush them with fork including the skin. You  get more fiber by not peeling it.

eggplant omelette

Prep Time: 15-25 mins
Cooking Time: 45 mins-1 hr & 15 mins
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup cooking oil/olive oil
  • 1/2 medium white or yellow onion(chopped)
  • 4 cloves of garlic(chopped)
  • 1/4 cup of red bell pepper(chopped)
  • 1/2 lb ground meat(pork, beef or chicken)
  • 2 cups water
  • 4 medium Filipino or Japanese eggplants (cut in half if too long/big)
  • 3 eggs(beaten)
  • 1 tbsp soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp salt
  • 1 tsp ground pepper

Condiments:

  • 1 cup banana ketchup(yes banana ketchup)
  • 2 tbsp kalamansi juice or lemon juice
  • 2 tbs of soy sauce
  • 1 crushed chilli pepper

Directions:

1. Poke eggplant with fork. Just enough so that they cook faster. Either you grill them or boil is up to you. In this recipe, I am boiling them so you need to boil the water.

2. Put 1 tbsp of salt only then boil all the eggplant for about 10-12 minutes. Make sure to flip them so other side will be cooked as well.

3. With your frying pan, you can start sauteeing the onions, garlic, red bell pepper and meat in 2 tbsps of oil while boiling.  Save the rest of oil for frying the eggplant. Simmer until dried.

4. Drain eggplant once cooked. Let it sit for few minutes

5. Once meat is cooked and dried up, put soy sauce and half teaspoon of salt and half of teaspoon of ground pepper. Stir. Let it cook for about 3-5 minutes. Turn off.

6. Beat eggs in a medium size shallow bowl or tray big enough for eggplant to fit once you dip it. Add the remaining salt and ground pepper. Add meat. Stir.

7.  Then put the eggplant one piece at a time. By using fork, start mushing the eggplant while incorporating the eggs and meat with it. Be careful not to mush the eggplant too much as it is already soft. You want them in intact shape by the time it is cooked and served.

8. Heat up frying pan in low fire. You can use the first one you use earlier by sauteeing the meat.

9. Once eggplant is covered with the egg mixture, using your widest spatula, transfer to the pan and fry for 4-5 mins each side.

10. Flip the omelette to cook on the other side.

11. Turn off once done.

12. Serve with steam rice and your type of condiment.

Enjoy!

Tips:

  • Sometimes it’s hard to find one small size eggplant(1 serving portion). So what I do is, If I find a medium size, but still long in size, I cut it in half. Also, I make it sure that the stem in the crown is present. This way it is easier to flip them when you’re frying
  • Poke the eggplant with fork about 4-6 times for faster cooking
  • As I mentioned above, you have the option to grill or to boil. To peel or not to peel. And to have meat or no meat. This is a free country. Cook it according to your preference. LOL! It’s your choice!
  • Ground meat: When I cook anything that uses ground meat i.e spaghetti, ground beef omelette, tacos, meatball soup, etc,  I usually cook a big batch of the ground meat(usually 6-8 lbs), sautée them and divide in portions then freeze for later use base on the dish I will be making
  • We normally cook this dish with ground meat. But that doesn’t mean it should stop you from eating it if you don’t like meat. Just skip them if you prefer meatless
  • Condiments: Some people prefer eating this with ketchup on the side. I do and with hot sauce. Some dipping them in soy sauce and lemon/kalamansi mixture
  • Using a wide flat ladle/spatula to scoop up the eggplant when frying helps a lot.

“Cookery is not chemistry. It is an Art. It requires instinct and taste rather than exact measurements”. – Xavier Marcel Boulestin (French Chef)

76 Comments

  1. I was pretty pleased to find this page. I want to to thank you for your timedue to this fantastic read!! I definitely savored every little bit of it and i also have you book-marked to see new information on your web site.

  2. Hello there, I discovered your website via Google even as searching for acomparable topic, your site got here up, it appears to be like good.I’ve bookmarked it in my google bookmarks.Hi there, just become aware of your blog through Google, and located that it’s truly informative.I am going to watch out for brussels. I will appreciate for those who proceed this in future.Many other folks will be benefited out of your writing.Cheers!

  3. This design is wicked! You certainly know how to keep a reader amused. Between your wit and your videos, I was almost moved to start my own blog (well, almost…HaHa!) Great job. I really loved what you had to say, and more than that, how you presented it. Too cool!

  4. Howdy just wanted to give you a quick heads up. The text in your article seem to be running off the screen in Firefox. I’m not sure if this is a format issue or something to do with web browser compatibility but I thought I’d post to let you know. The layout look great though! Hope you get the issue solved soon. Many thanks

  5. The core of your writing whilst sounding agreeable initially, did not settle very well with me personally after some time. Someplace throughout the paragraphs you were able to make me a believer but just for a very short while. I nevertheless have a problem with your leaps in logic and one would do nicely to fill in all those gaps. In the event you actually can accomplish that, I could surely be fascinated.

  6. After I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new feedback are added- checkbox and now every time a remark is added I get 4 emails with the same comment. Is there any way you may take away me from that service? Thanks!

  7. Hello There. I found your blog using msn. This is an extremely well written article. I抣l be sure to bookmark it and return to read more of your useful information. Thanks for the post. I抣l definitely comeback.

  8. Hello, i believe that i noticed you visited my site so i got here to 搟go back the favor?I’m trying to find issues to improve my website!I suppose its good enough to use some of your ideas!!

  9. Hi there! This post could not be written any better! Reading through this post reminds me of my good old room mate! He always kept chatting about this. I will forward this write-up to him. Fairly certain he will have a good read. Thank you for sharing!

  10. Spot on with this write-up, I actually suppose this website wants far more consideration. I抣l most likely be again to learn rather more, thanks for that info.

  11. Admiring the persistence you put into your blog and detailed information you present. It’s good to come across a blog every once in a while that isn’t the same unwanted rehashed material. Fantastic read! I’ve bookmarked your site and I’m adding your RSS feeds to my Google account.

  12. Thank you for another informative website. Where else could I get that kind of info written in such an ideal way? I’ve a project that I’m just now working on, and I’ve been on the look out for such information.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *