Smoked aubergine frittata with coriander lime salsa

Serves 4-6 for lunch or breakfast / 10-12 as a snack or side dish

Tortang talong is a Filipino breakfast dish made with grilled aubergines soaked in egg and fried. Because I like to be a bit extra, and love colour and aromatics, I've crossed it with a masala omelette* by adding chilli, garlic, coriander and tomato to the base. This is a supremely versatile dish: it's good hot or room temperature, with bread and fresh guacamole for brunch or served with coriander lime salsa as a snack, starter, light lunch or side dish.

PS This is my first recipe, written for the inaugural issue of the Lecker zine by Lucy Dearlove in October 2019. The first print run sold out immediately, with proceeds going to the Lewisham Food Bank.

UPDATE: The second edition of the Lecker Zine is available now via Etsy!

* I first came across masala omelette in Asma Khan’s delicious cookbook Asma’s Indian Kitchen.

Coriander Lime Salsa

INGREDIENTS

1 red onion, very finely sliced

200 ml extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp each of salt and ground pepper

Juice of 3 limes

1 large bunch fresh coriander

METHOD

  1. Finely chop coriander leaves. Add 3/4 to the salsa and reserve the rest for the frittata.

  2. Combine the coriander with the rest of the ingredients and leave to stand until ready to serve.

Tortang talong 

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 red onion, finely chopped

  • 12 cherry tomatoes

  • The rest of the coriander, stalks and leaves finely chopped 

  • 1 clove of garlic, crushed or minced

  • 1-2 fresh green chillis, finely chopped

  • 12 free-range eggs

  • 3 large aubergines

  • 1 tsp each of salt and ground black pepper

  • 1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce

  • 1 tbsp oil, rapeseed or vegetable

  • Non-stick frying pan, 27cm 

  • 4 bamboo skewers (2 per aubergine), soaked in water for 20 minutes

Burning aubergines.png

METHOD

  1. Whisk eggs with soy sauce, salt and pepper and leave to infuse.   

  2. Poke aubergines with soaked sticks, one on each end. These will be your manoeuvring handles.

  3. Place the aubergines in a funeral pyre over the stove or a BBQ, directly touching the flames. Burn the aubergines. More than you think. Turn them every couple of minutes. Burn them till the skin is black and blistering all over. You'll be worried but just keep at it until you see the insides have liquefied and juice is bubbling out of little cracks in the charred skin. Then burn them some more to amplify the smokey-sweet flavour. They should no longer look round and jolly like the aubergine emoji - when they're done they should look flat and a bit sad like a pair of black plimsoles.

  4. Seal the aubergines in a plastic bag or Tupperware to steam (this will help make them easier to peel). This is a good time to chop the rest of the ingredients (chilli etc) while you wait.

  5. In the sink, squeeze the tomatoes until the seeds pop out. Roughly chop the flesh.

  6. When the aubergines have cooled down, peel all the blackened skin off but keep the tops of the aubergines on (for presentation and to use as handles). Reserve and strain the liquid - I like to call it 'aubergine liquor' because I'm fancy like that.

  7. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a frying pan on medium. Place aubergines in pan and smush down the flesh till it's spread in an even layer across the pan. Fry until some of the liquid has evaporated, about 2-3 minutes. Take them out of the pan and leave to soak in the egg mixture.

  8. Wipe pan clean then add a teaspoon more oil. Fry the onions, tomatoes, chilli and coriander stalks on medium heat for 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic last so it doesn't burn. Fry for 2 minutes or so to reduce the liquid content so your frittata is not left with sloppy innards. Add the aubergine liquor and reduce again for a couple of minutes. Add the coriander leaves then empty everything in the pan to the eggs and mix well.

  9. Add a bit more oil to the pan at medium heat then tip in the egg mixture. Pull aubergine tops to opposite sides of the pan. Stir slowly from the inside out, about 30 seconds - this will help the mixture to cook more evenly. Turn the heat down slightly and leave for 5 minutes until set. Grill for a minute or so if it's still a bit runny on top. Slide out of the pan on to a plate then serve with the salsa and enjoy!

Maria Garbutt-Lucero