This Filipino tortang talong recipe is a classic! Mixed with the egg and seasoning, there are so many ways to serve this dish. After learning the basics of cooking the eggplant, this is another essential Filipino recipe to add to your collection!

This family tortang talong recipe is a childhood favorite! Served with a side of white rice and banana ketchup, this is like the ultimate Filipino comfort food!

With only 5 key ingredients, this tortang talong recipe is super easy and has a nice spice added that is different than the traditional recipe.

Once cooks learn this process, grilled eggplant will become part of your normal diet while being so yummy to eat!

This post will go over everything you need to know to create this tortang talong recipe.

Recipe difficulty: Moderate (don’t get discouraged, like literally only half a level above beginner)
Although there are only 5 key ingredients in this recipe, grilling the eggplant in the oven can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re looking for. Don’t worry I’m here to help! After grilled, cooks will now have to fry the eggplant in oil with enough egg to coat the eggplant. Get ready!

Sam’s Pro Tips for this Tortang Talong Recipe

Broiling and Peeling the Eggplant

How will I know when my eggplant is done broiling? The technique for grilling the eggplant varies. I have seen others grill the eggplant over a gas stove or use the oven. For me, I like to use the oven to broil my eggplant so that I can do multiple at once. When putting the eggplant under the broiler, it will take 10-14 minutes on each side. What you’re looking for is the skin to be blackened and charred just enough that the skin blisters. If you leave it under the broiler for too long, you risk the meat of the eggplant spilling out. You will also start to see some cracks on the skin of either side of the eggplant. Another trick is to listen for a popping noise, which usually signals the eggplant is ready to be flipped over or is done.

The skin of the eggplant is not peeling off easily. When this happens, you most likely waited too long to peel the skin after the eggplants were pulled from the oven. The skin is easiest to remove from the eggplant while it’s still hot and hasn’t had a chance to cool yet. After pulling the eggplant from the oven, wait 5-10 minutes at the most to start peeling the skin off. Peel the skin carefully as you don’t want to peel the meat from the eggplant!

Frying the Eggplant

How did you get your eggplant flat and rounded with the egg? After peeling the skin off the eggplant, take a fork to separate the eggplant just enough and dip in the egg mixture. After you transfer the eggplant dipped in the egg to the frying pan, you’re going put more of the egg on top of the eggplant. Make sure it’s completely drenched! A trick to make it flat is to use the back of a spatula to press down on the eggplant. It works every time!

What’s the easiest way to flip the eggplant on the pan without losing my egg mix? The eggplant will cook in the frying pan for about 3 minutes on each side. The easiest way I have found to flip the eggplant is to use tongs to grab the stem of the eggplant to carefully flip to the opposite side. I like using the tongs more than a spatula for this oven tortang talong recipe, as it’s easier to control and to transfer to a plate. With the spatula if I’m not careful, on the flip the eggplant can sometimes split.

Key Ingredients – Tortang Talong Recipe

Below are some key ingredients for this recipe:

Chinese Eggplants: For 4 servings, I used 5 Chinese eggplants for this tortang talong recipe. Chinese eggplants are long and skinny compared to the traditional tear-drop eggplants and work the best for this recipe. No joke, I have tried using the traditional eggplants in a pinch and because of how wide it is, it doesn’t set right when dipped in the egg and fried. Eggplants are also nutritious and high in antioxidants, which is an added benefit when eating this dish!

Eggs: So that each eggplant is nicely coated with the egg mixture, we are using 6 eggs in this recipe. The eggs are whisked together for at least 30 seconds to get air incorporated into the mixture. Once the egg mixture is foamy around the sides, the eggs have been whisked enough. By incorporating some air into the mixture, you will get a nice fluffy mixture when frying the eggplant.

Red pepper flakes: This is my secret ingredient! It’s a tortang talong with a twist! I haven’t seen other recipes use this, but this really adds a nice spicy flavor to the egg mixture. The red pepper flakes with the salt and the pepper are added to the egg mixture and whisked together.

Salt and freshly ground pepper: That’s all you need, just the basics! This goes into the egg mix for the added flavor!

More Variations to this Recipe

There are a few ways you can variate this tortang talong recipe. Here’s how:

Add a meat topping: Once you learn how to make this tortang talong recipe, you have the basics down! You can add a ground pork or beef mixture on the top of the eggplant for a Tortang Talong Recipe with Giniling. It’s so good! Or instead of a meat mixture, you can stuff the eggplant with different mixed vegetables like onion, garlic, and bell peppers.

What can I pair with this dish? Of course, this dish is paired with white rice on the side! Also, spicy banana ketchup is really popular served with this dish (this can be found in the Asian market). For us, we like to put a vinegar mixture on top with the rice. The vinegar mixture has vinegar, minced garlic, pepper, and a touch of hot sauce. You can also try this tortang talong recipe with Garlic Fried Rice!

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Ingredients

5 Chinese eggplants
6 eggs
½ tablespoon red pepper flakes
olive oil
salt and pepper

Instructions

Place your eggplants on a baking tray and broil the eggplants for 10-14 minutes on each side. The skin should be blackened and charred on each side with slight cracks. See note below.
While the eggplants are broiling, whisk your eggs in a medium size bowl for about 30 seconds until foamy around the edges. Add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
Pull the eggplants from the oven and cool for 5-10 minutes. Carefully peel the skin from the eggplant. Once the skin is peeled, take a fork and flatten the eggplant until wide and rounded. Be careful not to split the eggplant.
In a large frying pan, drizzle oil until completely coated. Once the pan is hot, dip the flattened eggplant in the egg mixture holding the stem. Place flat on the frying pan.
Using a spoon, add more of the egg mixture on top of the eggplant until it's completely coated on all edges. Use the back side of the spatula to flatten the eggplant in the frying pan.
Cook each side of the eggplant for 3 minutes or until browned. Serve hot with a side of white rice. Enjoy!

Notes

I broiled my eggplants for 14 minutes. Be careful not to over broil the eggplant as you don’t want the meat from the eggplant to spill out. See Sam’s Pro Tips for this Tortang Talong Recipe for further discussion.
When flipping the eggplant in the frying pan, I used tongs to grab the stem to flip to the other side.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to cook tortang talong?

Tortang talong consists of grilling the eggplant over a gas stove or in the oven. The peeled eggplant is then dipped in an egg mixture and fried.

How to make tortang talong using oven?

If using the broiler, broil each side of the eggplant for 10-14 minutes on each side.

What to serve with tortang talong?

Tortang talong is served with white rice and banana ketchup on the side. Meat can also be added to the eggplant for a tortang talong with giniling recipe.

How to store tortang talong?

Keep the tortang talong in the refrigerator and consume within 3 days.

Hello! I'm Sam.

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