Tortang talong — Filipino eggplant omelet
A simple, flavorful Filipino eggplant omelet: grilled eggplant is flattened, dipped in beaten egg and pan-fried, then typically served with rice, banana ketchup and a tangy tomato-onion relish.
A staple of Filipino home cooking, tortang talong (pronounced TORE-tahng tuh-LONG) is one of the most resourceful, ingenious egg dishes in the world. Why is it so satisfying to flatten a grilled eggplant with a fork, dip it in beaten egg and pan-fry it? Though the eggplant omelet itself is lovely on its own, its tablemates -- a bowl of rice, a squirt of banana ketchup and some kind of relish or salad -- turn the dish into a full experience. Everyone's house condiment is different: For some, that's ketchup, or soy sauce with citrus, or maybe a spiced vinegar with chile and garlic or onion; for others, a cane vinegar-doused relish of tomato and onion. Black pepper and garlic can be added to the omelet mixture for extra flavor, but with this dish, keeping things simple is what makes the eggplant and egg combo shine.