Chef Ed Dychauco, RN
One of the most versatile "vegetable" in the whole world is eggplant. Also known & called Aubergine in the United States, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and some other parts of the world.
It is a native of India but has gone worldwide. The 2 most popularly cultivated is that of the purple elongated variety and the much more rounded and shorter kind that is more darker. I have seen small rounded ones and lighter in color during one of my trips to Thailand, which they also prefer. It also comes in white color, to yellow, to green. Wow!
The raw fruit is somewhat bitter but when cooked, becomes tender. There are many ways of cooking it. It can be boiled, stir-fried, roasted, stewed and even deep fried.
Different countries have different ways of preparing it. But for sure, we also have our own ways of preparing this. And with the abundance of eggplant (talong) in the market, i can't just imagine not having this in our daily meals.
The simplest way to prepare this is by just stir frying or sauteing the sliced eggplant with a little oil & garlic. But of course, one can add onions, slices of meat to this dish. It can be roasted or boiled and the skin removed before making it into a salad or "torta".
This is also used in many of our local vegetable dishes like Kare-kare, Pinakbet, and the like. When cooked, the firm purple eggplant becomes soft and lightens. Depending on the season, a kilo of eggplant can be bought for P8.00-P10.00 or as high as P25.00 or more.
I normally like the smaller ones if i make them into tortang talong because it is easier to manage when being cooked. However, if it is for a bigger crowd, i would go for the bigger ones and slice them into equal sizes. If one notices, in carenderias and turo turos, they sell tortang talong per piece but smaller and can cost between P5.00-P10.00 each!
If the budget permits, one can also "elevate" the tortang talong into a higher level by adding ground meat with the addition of garlic, ginger, bell pepper and onions. And depending on the presentation, it can be "gourmet" on its own!
In tortang talong, it is normally roasted over an open fire or broiled in the oven. It can also be blanched or boiled so that the skin is soft enough to be peeled of. Depending on the variety, some doesn't need to be peeled since the skin is also edible.
Here is a "better" version of tortang talong that all can make & cook at home.
Eggplants, washed & roasted (or baked, boiled or blanched)
oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup onions, chopped
1/2 cup sweet bell pepper, chopped
1/4 kilo ground meat (beef, chicken or pork)
salt & pepper, to taste
eggs, beaten
Flatten eggplants.
Saute garlic, onions & bell pepper in hot oil.
Add the meat. Season with salt & pepper.
Incorporate the meat mixture with the eggs.
Dip eggplant into the egg/meat mixture.
Fry in enough oil in pan. Pour a little of the meat mixture into the talong.
When one side is cooked, fry the other side.
Serve with ketchup or any dipping sauce as desired.
Best eaten when hot with steamed rice.
Enjoy!
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