Ginisang talong (sautéed eggplant)

Tonight's extravaganza will be ginisang talong. Ginisa (the "ng" acts as a linguistic "linker") actually translates to sautéed or stir-fried, but the way it's made here in Cebu is more like braising as there's a bit of water involved, not to mention the eggplants' own juices.

Like many other vegetables grown in the Philippines, the eggplants found here are rather small compared to those grown in the USA and other places. They're about the size of English cucumbers, so two eggplants per person is about the right amount for a main course.

You can actually cook several different vegetables in this same style: cabbage, pechay (bok choy), the other pechay (Chinese or Napa cabbage), sitaw (string/snap/green/haricot beans, whatever you want to call 'em), asparagus or yard-long beans, and others. It's the way we usually cook our vegetables, and we usually eat a fresh vegetable dish for dinner every night. It's really simple and easy.




Ingredients:

Fatty pork, skin and all, cut into small cubes to make 2/3 cup of meat when cut

Water

4 eggplants

1 onion* peeled and coarsely chopped

1 head of garlic (around 10 cloves), peeled and slightly crushed

1 pork bouillon cube

2 tablespoons cooking oil

2 to 3 tablespoons soy sauce

1/2 cup or so of water

Salt and pepper, to taste


Instructions:

Prepare the eggplants by trimming off the stem, slicing them in half lengthwise then slicing the halves into 1/2 to 3/4 inch thick slices.

Prepare the onion as mentioned above, then prepare the garlic by trimming the ends off of the cloves then crushing each clove slightly by placing the flat of a kitchen knife blade on each one then banging it with the side of your fist. This loosens the peels and makes them easier to remove plus it crushes the garlic cloves slightly, letting more garlicky goodness get into the food vs. just using whole, undamaged or uncut cloves.

Precook the pork by placing it in a large, uncovered skillet over medium-high heat with enough water to cover the meat halfway: about 2/3 to 1 cup (I've never measured the amount of water I use, I just put enough right in the pan.) Cook, stirring occasionally to turn the meat over, until all the water has boiled away and the pork starts to sizzle in its own fat.

Add the oil and stir, then add the garlic and chopped onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, for a couple of minutes until the onion\s layers separate and the onion starts getting translucent and tender.

Add the soy sauce and stir. Cook for a minute more, stirring occasionally, until the pork and onion get nicely brown.

Add the bouillon cube and continue cooking while breaking up the cube with your spatula or big spoon and letting it dissolve in the soy sauce.

Add the 1/2 cup of water then add your eggplants. Stir well, cover and reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the eggplants are thoroughly cooked all over. They'll turn a dark olive green when cooked.

Season with black pepper. Add salt to taste, if necessary (we usually don't add extra salt as we feel the soy sauce and bouillon cube provide enough sodium.) This dish should come out somewhat dry: moist from the cooked eggplant yet not a lot of juice or sauce to speak of.

Serve hot over rice. Serves two.

*Note: Philippine onions are small, roughly the size of a hen's egg, so when I say one onion vary your amount accordingly: half a standard onion is probably plenty.