Tortang Talong (Stuffed Eggplant Omelette)

Perhaps the humble eggplant is mostly known for its use in Italian cooking. In the Philippines we grow them a lot so they are pretty popular especially for breakfast. We pre-cook the eggplant and then sort of mash it, add some eggs and voila yummy eggplant omelette. You can prefer to just use plain eggplant in an omelette but why not up the omelette a notch by adding some meat on it.

Click here for the  ground pork sauté recipe which is indispensable for this eggplant omelette.

Ingredients

Eggplant, preferably the Asian/Japanese variety
1 Egg (add more if using more eggplants)
Salt and pepper
Cooked ground meat (see above link for recipe)

Procedure

Wash the eggplants and dry them with paper towels.

There are a few ways to cook an eggplant. If you have a gas burner, you can grill your eggplant on top of it until the skin gets charred and can be easily be removed from its flesh. The eggplant should also be very tender at this point.

If you don't have a gas burner but an electric stove top, you can use the oven broiler instead. This is what I usually do.

Heat the broiler from 450-500F. Place the eggplant under the broiler and cook until it is soft, charred and its skin easily separates from its flesh. This can take roughly between 20-30 minutes depending on the size and thickness of your eggplants.

Beat the egg on a bowl. Place the eggplant on top ensuring that it is fully coated with the eggwash. Mash or flatten the eggplant. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat some oil in a frying pan. Slide the eggplant to the pan and start frying it. If using the ground pork saute, place 2-3 tablespoons of the meat on top of the eggplant. You can use the eggplant's stem to lift it up and check to see if the other side is already cooked. If the bottom of the eggplant has set and is cooked, flip it over to cook the other side. Fry until it has set and has turned a lovely golden brown.

Transfer to the plate and enjoy with rice for breakfast or lunch! To be truly Pinoy, eat it with ketchup as your condiment.

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Giniling Guisado/Ginisa - Basic Recipe (Ground Pork/Beef Sauté)

In the Philippines or at least in our household, this is the foundation of a lot of dishes especially when combined with a lot of vegetables. I always loved coming home to the aroma of  this dish cooking in the stove top as I know it would be either made with my favorite vegetable - squash or some green beans, among others.

Giniling is the Tagalog term for ground and specifically refers to ground meat.   Ginisa means to sauté or cook in oil with garlic, onions, or tomatoes which is what this dish is all about. Guisado is a Spanish term which refers to braising or stewing meat with tomatoes, garlic, onions and soy sauce – the Asian guisado, anyway. Which is which? Well, whether you call this ginisa or guisado… it’s down home good especially when you combine it with vegetables or use it for omelettes.

Ingredients 

1 Tablespoon Olive or Vegetable oil (more if using non-stick pan)

4-6 Garlic cloves, chopped (love garlic so I always use a lot!)

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 lb ground Pork or Beef (whichever you fancy)

3 Roma or Plum tomatoes, diced and seeded (if desired)

3 Tablespoons soy sauce (adjust it to the level of saltiness you can stand…)

½ cup water

Salt and pepper

Patis / Fish sauce (optional)

Procedure

Heat oil in medium in a deep pan. Sauté the garlic and onions for about a 1-2 minutes.

Add the ground meat and cook until it changes its color.

Crumble the meat with a fork to prevent clumping as you brown it. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. You can use fish sauce instead of salt for better flavor, if you wish.

Add the diced tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes. Pour in the soy sauce and water.

  

Bring to a boil. Cover then simmer on low heat for at least half an hour to allow the meat to absorb the flavor of the liquid. Correct the seasoning if necessary. If it needs a bit of lifting up, a little fish sauce will go a long, long way! 

So how can we use this basic recipe in other dishes?

The possibilities are endless.

Add your favorite vegetables and cook until tender  - from cabbage, squash, green or Asian long beans, etc….

Add to baked beans so it becomes  “true” Pork and Beans.

This is also a great stuffing for cabbage or even for Bell Peppers.

Definitely, indispensable for eggplant omelette (Tortang Talong) and Spanish/Potato omelette.

Note: If you intend to use this as a stuffing, either omit the water or let it evaporate as you cook it. But if you wish to add veggies to the stew then retain the liquid so you have enough to pour over the rice.

Make this ahead, freeze and use as the need arises!

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