Tortang Talong (Eggplant Fritters)

The narrow Asian or Middle Eastern eggplants work best using this method of first cooking them on open fire in the two recipes below. If you can't get hold of these narrow eggplants, use normal eggplants and split them in half while cooking over the fire, but make sure they are still attached at the stem for easy handling.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant , sliced in half lengthwise, skin left on
• 1 egg
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tablespoon chopped Italian parsley
• 1 chopped green chilli, such as serrano, seeds and stem removed
• 1 teaspoon soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon fish sauce
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil

Instructions

Over a medium fire on a grill, cook the eggplant, turning it frequently so each part of it is exposed evenly to the fire, until the skin is charred and the eggplant is soft. Let cool slightly, then peel off the skin. With a fork, flatten the eggplant so you’re left with two flattened fritters of eggplant with the stem still attached.

Meanwhile, in a bowl or deep plate, beat the egg and mix in all the other ingredients except the vegetable oil. Dip the eggplant sections in the egg mixture, then fry in a frying pan with the oil on low-medium heat. Flip over, so that each begins to get brown, a few minutes on each side. Cut each fritter in half before serving.