Tortang Talong
My Lola, grandmother in Tagalog, used to make tortang talong all the time in the countertop toaster oven. I was never a big fan, but I blame that on being a dumb kid with a poor palette that was laser focused on Papa John’s* pizza with garlic sauce.
We all grow up one day though and I love eggplant now… but ooh wee, that garlic sauce is still good.
Anyways, there’s really not much to it. Tortang talong is basically an eggplant omelette, but I have some techniques that will add some real depth to the flavor.
*Please do not eat Papa John’s pizza. The founder is a garbage person and you should support your local pizza shops.
Ingredients
2 Asian eggplants*
2 eggs
kosher salt and ground black pepper
pickled cucumbers (optional)
*You must use Asian eggplants for this recipe. Standard eggplants are too big. Use those for eggplant parm. Asian eggplants are the long, thin ones you see in the picture above.
1. You have 2 options on how to prepare the eggplants:
Option A: Using the broiler in your oven. If your broiler is a gas flame at the top of the oven, position your rack as close as possible to the flame.
Option B: If you have a gas stove, you can roast the eggplants directly over the flame.
Let’s go with Option B because playing with fire is so much cooler. Over a high flame, simply put the eggplants directly on the grates. Roast the eggplants until they are blackened all over. Keep rotating and moving the eggplants with long enough tongs to keep your hands safe. This process will take a while, but you really want to make sure they are evenly charred and blistered.
If you are doing Option A (zzz), keep rotating the eggplants to ensure even charring. Yes, that means you will have to keep opening and closing the oven door.
2. Put the charred eggplants into a large, sealed Ziploc bag. The hot eggplants will steam in the bag and make it far easier to peel later.
3. While the eggplants are steaming, beat the eggs. Pro tip: I like to add a splash of cold water to the eggs while whisking. The water creates steam that results in fluffier eggs. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Peel the eggplants. Try not to leave any charred skin behind.
5. With a spoon, gently flatten the flesh of the eggplants on a flat surface. You don’t want to destroy the integrity too much, but you need them to be flat to better absorb the eggs in the subsequent step.
6. Heat up a bit of oil in a non-stick skillet over a medium flame.
7. One at a time, dip the eggplants in the egg mixture making sure to thoroughly douse them in egg. Keep the leftover egg mixture.
8. Put the eggy eggplant in the pan and cook until the eggs set and are lightly browned. Drop a few spoons of the leftover egg mixture around the eggplant. Flip. Finish cooking on the next side.
9. Set the freshly made tortang talong on a paper towel lined plate to soak up a bit of the excess oil.
10. I like to serve the tortang talong with a few pickled cucumbers and a few pinches of Maldon salt.