Colm O'Gorman's Tortang Tolang

Method

1. Start by charring the aubergines. To do this, place them on an open gas flame and burn the skin, turning it regularly until it is scorched all over. I use my wok ring for this and can cook two at a time over that large flame, but you can of course do them one at a time if you do not have a large gas ring. You can also prepare the aubergines under the grill, just put them under a very hot grill and turn them regularly until the skin is well scorched all over. An open flame does give the best flavour though, you will not quite as good a smoky flavour if you char the aubergines under the grill.

2. Cooking the aubergine over an open flame will only take three to four minutes. You will know they are done when the skin is well charred, and juices start to leak out and sizzle over the heat. When this happens, remove the aubergines from the flame and set them aside on a plate to cool down.

3. While they are cooling, prepare the pork. Peel and finely chop the onion. Wash, deseed and finely dice the red pepper. Peel and grate the garlic and ginger. Heat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat and add a few tablespoons of rapeseed oil. Pop on the onions and reduce the heat to medium/low. Sauté the onions for a few minutes and add the garlic and ginger. Cook for one more minute and add the pork. Stir the pork in to break it up and cook for three to four minutes. Add the diced red pepper, salt and ground white pepper and cook for another few minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed and then set aside.

4. By now the aubergines should be cool enough to handle. Peel off the skin but leave on the stalks. I do this with my hands, and it is easy enough, if a little messy. You can use the edge of a small sharp knife to scrape away any bits of skin that remain stuck to the flesh, just be careful not to remove the smoky flesh on the surface beneath the skin at the same time.

5. Crack the eggs into a bowl, add a little salt and good grind of black pepper and whisk the eggs. Pour the egg mixture into a wide dish. Put the peeled aubergines on a chopping board and use a fork to flatten them out. Just press down gently to fan them out until they are about the thickness of your thumb.

6. Add a generous glug of rapeseed oil to a frying pan and heat over a high heat. While the pan is heating, dip one of the flatted aubergines in the egg mixture, coating it all over. When the oil is good and hot, transfer the egg coated aubergine to the pan and pan fry it until the bottom is nice and golden brown. Now add quarter of the cooked pork to the top of the aubergine and spoon over a few more tablespoons of the egg mixture. Press the pork down gently and flip the aubergine carefully. Fry for another three to four minutes, then transfer to some kitchen paper to drain. Repeat until you have cooked all the aubergines.

7. While the tortang talong are cooking, make the salad. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters and dice the chillies. Use as much chilli as you like, depending upon how hot you want the salad to be. I would advise that you remove the pith and seeds though, as if the salad is too fiery, it will overpower the other flavours in the dish. Pop the chopped tomatoes and chillies into a bowl, along with the lime juice and sea salt. Stir to combine.

8. Serve the aubergines with plain boiled rice and the salad on the side and some of your favourite chilli sauce. I use a caramel sriracha which is perfect, but any good chilli sauce will be delicious.