Tortang Talong

Name: Tortang Talong
Prep time: 6 min
Cook time: 11 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Filipino
Ingredients: 4 Egg Plants; 2 Eggs; 1 tsp Salt; 4 tsp Olive Oil

By The Spice & Simmer Kitchen · Published May 3, 2026

A one-pot Vegetarian recipe with Filipino flavors, built for busy weeknights when you want real food without a sink full of dishes. Comes together in roughly 31 minutes, serves about 4, and uses ingredients you can find at any normal grocery store. The technique is simple: build a base in your pot, layer in the main ingredients, simmer until everything has had time to talk to each other, and serve straight from the pan. If you're cooking for picky eaters, this one tends to land — the flavors are recognizable, the texture is comforting, and there's nothing weird hiding in the ingredient list. Perfect for the kind of evening where you want dinner on the table by 7pm and the kitchen empty by 7:30.

Step-by-step instructions

Grill the eggplant until the color of skin turns almost black 1. Let the eggplant cool for a while then peel off the skin. Set aside.
Crack the eggs and place in a bowl 3. Add salt and beat 4. Place the eggplant on a flat surface and flatten using a fork.
Dip the flattened eggplant in the beaten egg mixture 6. Heat the pan and pour the cooking oil 7. Fry the eggplant (that was dipped in the beaten mixture). Make sure that both sides are cooked. Frying time will take you about 3 to 4 minutes per side on medium heat.

Why this works on a weeknight

Tortang Talong genuinely fits a 30-minute weeknight window, which is why it earned a spot in our Skillet & One-Pan collection. The technique is forgiving, the ingredient list is grocery-store standard, and the active cooking time is short enough that you can answer a text message in the middle without ruining dinner.

Cleanup notes

This is a single-pan recipe, so the cleanup is exactly one pan, one cutting board, and one knife. While the dish rests, fill the pan with hot soapy water — by the time you are done eating, the residue lifts off with a single pass of a sponge. Skip the steel wool on cast iron; a stiff brush and warm water are all you need to keep the seasoning intact.

Make-ahead and leftovers

Leftovers keep covered in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat in a dry pan over medium-low with a splash of water or stock to loosen the sauce. Tortang Talong actually improves overnight as the flavors keep talking to each other, so doubling the recipe and packing tomorrow's lunch is a high-leverage weeknight move.

Filed under 🥘 Skillet & One-Pan Vegetarian Filipino ⚡ 30-Min Dinner