Ensaladang Talong
A flavorful and refreshing eggplant dish featuring roasted eggplant topped with a vegetable mix
Ingredients
- 350 g Chinese eggplant (or 4 small eggplants)
- 2 tbsp Neutral oil (for brushing)
- 3/4 cup distilled white vinegar
- 4-6 tbsp cane sugar (adjust to desired sweetness)
- 1 dash freshly ground black pepper
- 4 small tomatoes (diced)
- 2 small red onion (diced)
- 1 cup diced fresh apple mangoes optional
- 1 bird’s eye chili sliced (optional for heat)
- 1 handful cilantro for topping (chopped)
Instructions
Cooking the Eggplant
- First, let's start with the eggplants. Brush a little oil onto the skin of each eggplant to coat them.
- Next, fire up your grill or turn on your gas range. If you have multiple burners, you can use 2-3 of them, depending on your comfort level. Using a pair of tongs, roast the eggplants over the open flame for about 10-12 minutes until they become charred, blistered, and wrinkly. Remember to turn and flip the eggplants to ensure even cooking on all sides.
- Once the eggplants have a nice char and are soft to the touch, you can check their doneness by poking the thickest parts with a fork. If they're cooked through, it's time to move on.
- Allow the roasted eggplants to rest and cool for 5-10 minutes. Simply leave them covered in foil.
Preparing the Dressing
- Mix together vinegar, sugar, and pepper according to your taste preferences. Feel free to adjust the quantities as needed.
- Prepare your toppings by dicing the tomatoes, onions, and apple mangoes (if using). Add them to the dressing and set aside.
- Now, let's move on to assembling the salad. You have two options:
Assembly Option 1
- Once the eggplants have cooled down, carefully slice them in the center and open them up, resembling a butterfly. You can also use a spoon to gently chop up the eggplant flesh in the center. The skin acts as a bowl or container. Repeat this step for the remaining eggplants. If you encounter any tough eggplant flesh, check the notes below for some tips.
- Spoon the vinegar dressing with the tomatoes and other toppings over the eggplants. Sprinkle some cilantro on top. Now you can enjoy the ensaladang as a delightful starter or side dish with your favorite main course. If you're interested, you can explore more Filipino recipes here.
Assembly Option 2
- Once the eggplants have cooled, peel off the skin and cut the flesh into shorter pieces (as the strands can be long). Mix everything together in a bowl, including the dressing, tomatoes, onions, mangoes, and cilantro.