Illustration of a Filipino eggplant omelet served with rice, lime, and ketchup on a plate.

Filipino Eggplant Omelet

A quick and easy way to use Asian eggplants.

1 omelet

Time: 30 mins

The recipe breakdown originally appeared in The Mouthful, our weekly food newsletter for the curious home cook.

Known as a tortang talong in the Philippines, this eggplant omelet fritter makes for a filling breakfast or lunch. If you’re not yet an eggplant person, this is a great way to appreciate them: their mild, roasted flesh adds substance and a welcome creamy texture.

Keith McBrayer

Keith McBrayer

CREATOR

Ingredients

  • Eggplant & eggs

    • asian eggplants
      11 part
    • eggs
      22 parts
    • salt
      a sprinkle
    • black pepper
      a sprinkle
    • cooking oil
      a drizzle
  • For serving

    • rice
      , cooked
    • ketchup

Method

Step 1: Roast the eggplants

Poke each eggplant with a fork several times to vent the skin. On a grill, gas flame, or under a broiler, roast the eggplants aggressively. Continue roasting and rotating the eggplants until the skins are completely and blackened, and the insides are very soft.

  • Allow the eggplants to cool some, and then use a fork to gently peel off the charred skin. Small bits of skin left are ok.

Step 2: Prep the omelet station

Crack the eggs into a bowl and beat them together with salt & pepper. Transfer the egg mixture to a flat plate.

  • Get a nonstick pan and gently preheat the stove with a drizzle of cooking oil.

Step 3: Flatten & coat each eggplant

Add the cooked eggplant to the egg mixture on the plate. Using a fork, gently smoosh the eggplant meat until it has completely flattened. Keep the eggplant intact, however. The flattened meat should have a wide, bulbous shape, and pick up a lot of the egg mixture.

  • Transfer the flattened eggplant by the stem to the hot pan, making sure to lay it flat.

Step 4: Brown the omelet

Once the eggplant omelet has cooked on one side ( is ok), flip until the other side is cooked too. Repeat steps 3 and 4 with any remaining eggplants for extra servings.

Serve and enjoy with warm rice and ketchup.

  • By the way, these can be stuffed with ground pork and seasoned with oyster and soy sauce for a more savory, filling version.
LET'S COOK!

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