Eggplant

CEBU, Philippines — The typical Filipino house would have a small garden nearby. And most, if not all, of the family’s vegetable needs would be sourced from there. There would actually be no need to go to the market – except to sell surplus vegetables.

The only problem is the weather, or the change of weathers. Some vegetables don’t thrive well in hot weather, while others just don’t make it in the rainy days. Fortunately, certain vegetables do well all year round.

One of the weather-resistant vegetables in the country is the “talong,” the eggplant. It’s not only quite tough in the change of seasons, “talong” is also quite versatile in the kitchen. It can be made into various dishes by itself or as ingredients in fish, chicken and meat dishes. It goes well with other vegetables, too.

One popular “talong” dish is “tortang talong.” A great version of the dish is having the eggplant go with ground pork. Many people, including those who don’t like other eggplant dishes, like “tortang talong na may giniling.”

Vanjo Merano, at www.panlasangpinoy.com, is kind enough to share the following “tortang talong” recipe that anyone may try at home:

Tortang Talong with Ground Pork

Ingredients:

2 eggplants, large

3 eggs

6 ounces ground pork

1 medium tomato, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves crushed garlic, minced

8 tablespoons cooking oil

½ teaspoon salt

? teaspoon ground black pepper

Procedure:

• Heat the eggplants directly over a stove top until the sides skin turns black. Remove and let it cool down. Peel the skin off and arrange in a plate. Flatten each piece using a fork. Set aside.

• Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in a pan. Saute garlic, onion, and tomato.

• Add ground pork. Continue to cook until the pork turns light brown. Season with salt and ground black pepper, and then transfer to a clean plate and set aside.

• Heat remaining oil in a clean pan.

• While the oil is being heated, crack eggs and place in a bowl. Beat until smooth.

• Dip a piece of eggplant into the bowl with egg. Make sure that the entire eggplant gets completely coated.

• Gently slide the eggplant into the pan.

• While one side is frying, arrange half of the ground pork mixture over the eggplant. Pour 2 tablespoons of beaten egg to cover the pork mixture. (Tip: Scoop oil from the pan using a spoon and pour over the eggplant. This will partially cook the beaten egg on top, which will act as a binder to prevent the meat mixture from falling apart.)

• Flip the eggplant over to cook the opposite side. (Note: you can use a wide spatula, or you can temporarily transfer the eggplant to a plate. If using the plate method, empty the oil from the pan first. Hold the pan in one hand and the plate on the other. Cover the plate with the pan and quickly flip the pan so that it is facing up.) The side with ground pork should be facing down at this point. Continue to cook in medium to high heat until the tortang talong with ground pork is fully cooked.

• Do the same step for the remaining eggplant.

Share and enjoy!