Eggplant adobo (adobong talong)
Silky eggplant simmered in the Filipino adobo trio of vinegar, soy and garlic until glossy, with rice and a fried egg.
- 40 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 2
- About $2.36 a serving
- 680 calories
- Good the next day
- Vegetarian
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 2 servings.
- 1 cup jasmine rice
- 1 eggplant, large
- 2 large eggs
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
From your pantry
- 1½ cups water
- ¼ tsp salt
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp white vinegar
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 2 bay leaves
- ½ tsp black pepper
Each serving has about 680 calories, 18 g protein, 95 g carbs and 26 g fat, and costs about $2.36 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No jasmine rice? Long-grain white rice or basmati rice works.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
the rice and bring it with 1½ cups water and the salt in a .
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
Saucepan. A saucepan is a pot with tall, straight sides and one long handle. It’s for things that need depth, like rice, sauces or a few boiled eggs.
How you’ll know: The food fills it about halfway, leaving room to bubble without spilling over.
High heat
Stir once, cover, turn to low and cook 15 minutes.
Low heatTimer: 15 min
Cut the eggplant into 2-inch sticks about ¾ inch thick.
Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large over medium heat. Fry the eggs until the whites are set, 3 to 4 minutes, and slide them onto a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Medium heatTimer: 4 min
Food safety: For the safest eggs, cook until the whites are fully set and the yolks begin to thicken. Dishes made with eggs are done at 160°F.
Add the rest of the oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Cook the eggplant, turning, until on most sides, 6 to 8 minutes.
Brown. Browning means cooking until the outside turns brown, which is where a lot of savory flavor comes from. Give food room and time without stirring, or it steams and stays gray.
How you’ll know: The food looks brown rather than gray, and the kitchen smells toasty and savory.
Medium-high heatTimer: 7 min
Dolly’s tip: Eggplant drinks up oil at first. Don’t add more. It lets some back out as it softens.Push the eggplant to the side and cook the garlic until , 1 minute.
Golden brown. Golden brown is the color of good toast, somewhere between yellow and light brown. It means the outside is cooked and crisp but not burnt.
How you’ll know: It looks like toast and smells toasty; dark brown with a bitter smell means it went too far.
Medium heat
Pour in the soy sauce, vinegar, ½ cup water, sugar, bay leaves and pepper. Let it bubble for 1 minute without stirring.
Medium heat
Dolly’s tip: Leaving it alone for a minute lets the sharp vinegar smell cook off.Stir, then uncovered until the eggplant is very tender and the sauce is thick and glossy, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.
Simmer. Simmering means keeping a liquid just below a boil, with small bubbles rising gently. It cooks food evenly and lets a sauce thicken without scorching on the bottom.
How you’ll know: Small, lazy bubbles break the surface every second or so, and nothing is churning.
Medium heatTimer: 9 min
Serve over the rice with a fried egg on top.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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Vegetarian dinners ›Pantry dinners ›What to make with eggs and rice ›