For me, whenever Tortang Talong (Filipino Eggplant Omelette) is mentioned, it reminds me of the good old times when I was still young and you don’t have that many problems yet. Waking up in the morning with this dish served hot on the dinner table is something very nostalgic and somewhat special.
For many Filipinos, this might probably be relatable to you, so if you want to take a step back from the fast lane and have a moment to reminisce about simpler times, you can learn how to make this dish now.
What is Tortang Talong?
Tortang talong is a famous dish and is a type of omelette. Normally eaten for breakfast or for lunch on a day-to-day basis, this dish traditionally includes common ingredients grilled eggplants which are soaked in an egg mixture together with some garlic and onions and is then fried.
The reason why this is popular among many Filipinos is because it is very cheap and is very easy to make.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Best Eggplant To Use
When making tortang talong, we should use Asian varieties, aka the long slender eggplants. Pick ones of uniform size and has smooth, shiny skin. Smaller one sized eggplants are also better since they have thinner skin, they taste sweeter, and they have fewer seeds.
Aromatics
For this recipe, included here are some onions and garlic, to add more of that familiar and delicious flavor to the dish. But if you want to make the tortang talong as simple as possible, you can skip these altogether, and with that you will need only a total of five ingredients to prepare the dish.
Sauce
For additional flavor, a common and good partner with the tortang talong is ketchup.
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like eggs, salt, black pepper, and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Equipment You’ll Need
- Grilling Wire- You will need a grilling wire or a wire rack to do a simple and quick stovetop grilling of the eggplants.
- Cooking Pan (Kawali)- You will be using a regular kawali or a shallow frying or cooking pan to pan-fry the tortang talong.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Make Tortang Talong
The basic tortang talong only uses a couple of easily available ingredients almost anywhere, as said earlier. So when starting, the main steps you are going to do when cooking this dish is:
First, you need to cook the eggplant. For this recipe, you can just directly char the eggplant using the cooking stove, since it is the most practical way of doing it in a typical household, but you can use other methods such as grilling, or also using the oven.
Second, you need to mix this grilled eggplant with the egg. This is combined with common seasonings such as salt and pepper. And then last, you need to cook this eggplant and egg mixture in the cooking pan to make an omelette. And that’s pretty much it! Your dish is ready.
Cooking Tips
- Season all you want. If you want to add more flavor to the tortang talong, nothing is hindering you from doing so! You can add any seasoning of your choice.
- This dish is nice when you have a little spice on it, so it is recommended that you add in a couple of those chili pepper powders when mixing the eggplant, to have a nice kick in every bite.
- Be sure to watch the heat when cooking the tortang talong. The egg and the eggplant can be easily overcooked so you must keep the heat on a low to medium setting. High heat tends to burn the outside super fast and will leave you with undercooked parts easily.
How to Serve Tortang Talong
Tortang talong is served as a main dish during breakfast or lunch and is accompanied by freshly cooked white rice. If you want a heavier meal, you can treat this as a side dish to another meat dish. This is usually served with a ketchup dipping sauce.
How to Store and Reheat Tortang Talong
When storing tortang talong, make sure it is completely cool, then transfer it to a clean food container with lid. You can place this in a refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat, you can use a microwave oven but it’ll be better to use a conventional oven or an oven toaster to bring back its crispiness. Set the temperature at 175 C (347 F) and heat for at least 5 minutes.
Tortang Talong Variations
Since this dish is basically an omelette, you can get creative when in comes to the ingredients you can mix with the egg and eggplant. Here are some examples:
- tomato
- ground beef
- ground pork
- longganisa/ sausage
- cheese
- canned tuna
- bell peppers
Do you also have unique variations? Comment them below!
Other Filipino Egg Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Tortang Talong (Pinoy Eggplant Omelette) Recipe
Equipment
- Cooking Pan
Ingredients
- 4 pcs eggplants (talong)
- 1 pc medium-sized onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 pcs eggs
- 4 tbsp cooking oil
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In the cooking stove, place the eggplant on top directly. Cook until all sides are evenly charred. Let it cool.
- In a flat workspace, peel off the skin of the eggplant then flatten it using a fork.
- In a cooking pan, add in the onions, and garlic. Saute until tender and fragrant.
- In a bowl, add in the eggs and season with salt and pepper. Mix and beat the eggs until foamy then dip the eggplant and coat with the egg mixture.
- In the same cooking pan, add in the eggplant. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes on one side and then flip. Cook until both sides are set.
- Transfer to a serving tray or serving plate. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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