The Perfect Side: Ensaladang Talong

Hey fellow foodies!

Hope you're having a fantastic day!

Today, I will be sharing a straightforward yet delicious side dish recipe using readily available ingredients. In our area, this dish is quite popular, primarily due to the year-round availability of eggplant and other ingredients. This easy recipe adds a lively flavor and spice, enhancing the richness of fried or grilled foods, such as fish and meat.

This side dish, Ensaladang Talong (Filipino Eggplant Salad), is incredibly quick and easy to prepare. First, grill the eggplant—it only takes a few minutes. While it's cooling, you can wash and slice the other ingredients. Once everything is ready, just toss it all together for a fresh and flavorful side dish.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium eggplants, grilled until soft, peeled, and cut into bite-sized pieces
• 2 large, ripe tomatoes, diced
• 1 small cucumber, diced
• 1 small firm green mango, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 green chilies, sliced (more or less, depending on your spice preference)
• 2 tablespoons shrimp paste (sauteed bagoong alamang)

Preparation:

• Grill the eggplants until soft and cooked through. Peel off the skin, and make sure theres no house guests inside and chop into bite-sized pieces.

• Prepare the remaining ingredients: peel and dice the tomatoes, cucumber, mango, and onion. Slice the chilies.

• In a large plate or bowl, combine the grilled eggplant, diced vegetables, and shrimp paste.

• Mix everything together until the shrimp paste is evenly distributed.

• Serve with hot rice, fried fish, or your preferred main dish. Enjoy!

This Ensaladang Talong is a staple at our family gatherings where we usually have boodle fights in long table covered with banana leaves especially beach trips. I absolutely love pairing it with grilled bangus (milkfish)—it's so good, I can easily finish several cups of rice! Now that I'm a mom, I'm sharing these beloved dishes with my kids, giving them the chance to discover and enjoy the flavors I grew up with.

Do you have a similar dish where you're from? Or have you ever tried making eggplant salad? If you have please share your thoughts and recipes in the comments below.

Thanks for reading and see you on my next one!

_{All photos are my original work.
The lead image was edited using Canva.}