Called Rellenong Talong in the Philippines, this dish looks like an omelette but it's actually the Filipino version of stuffed eggplant. Unlike that of other cuisines where the eggplant is basically cut into half and then hollowed out and the eggplant flesh is cooked with the other filling ingredients, the Filipino stuffed eggplant is cooked differently. First, the eggplant is grilled then the skin is peeled off and after that, it is soaked in beaten egg, filled with meat mixture and then cooked like an omelette. There's another dish called "Tortang Talong" which is actually the Filipino eggplant omelette. The difference is that after grilling and peeling off the skin, the eggplant is just soaked in egg and cooked without the filling. Some steam the eggplant instead of grilling it, but I personally prefer the latter because of the added flavor that grilling brings and because grilled eggplant turns out less watery and mushy.
Rellenong Talong is one of my youngest daughter's favorite. Just like me and the hubs, she loves it with banana ketchup! Like the Rellenong Tahong, Rellenong Alimasag, Rellenong Pusit and Rellenong Okra that I have featured here on the blog before, Rellenong Talong is a bit time consuming to prepare, but I tell yah, it's all worth it! Definitely a must try!
