ADOBONG TALONG AT AMPALAYA

Here I'm cooking talong and ampalaya together in simple adobo style. Talong is a good source of potassium, which helps to regulate blood pressure and heart function. Ampalaya is a good source of Vitamin A and C, calcium, phosphorous and iron. 

Talong

Talong, also known as eggplant or brinjal or aubergine  originated in India  where it has been cultivated throughout the country for thousands of years. From India it spread to China to Southern and Eastern Asia since prehistory until it was brought to us by our early Indonesian ancestors. 

                                       Arabs crossing the dessert

As trade routes opened, eggplant was introduced to Europe by the Arabs.

                                            African women

Eggplant was transported to Africa by the Persians. The Spaniards carried it with them to the New World.  

Today it is commonly used as a vegetable in many cuisines of the world. 

The eggplant is a delicate vegetable that easily absorbs the flavors of the spices or sauces that you put into it. Eggplant can be steamed, stir-fried, pan fried, deep fried, barbecued, roasted, stewed, curried, or pickled. Many eggplant dishes are sauces made by mashing the cooked fruit. It can be stuffed. In my cookbooks, talong is featured in many traditional Filipino dishes such as tortang talong (omelette), ginataang talong at kangkong (adapted from ginataang tulingan fish), rellenong talong, pinakbet, sinigang, adobong talong or just plain pritong talong with toyo’t kalamansi and ensaladang talong.

                                             Tortan Talong (omelette)

Ampalaya

Ampalaya, also known as bitter melon or bitter gourd originated also in India and was widely used in the cuisines of East Asia, South Asia and Southeast Asia.

The Tagalog name for it ‘ampalaya’ comes from the Indonesian name ‘paria’.  That’s why the Ilocanos also call it ‘parya’ because they are the descendants of our early Indonesian ancestors who introduced us to this bitterly delicious vegetable thousands of years ago. There is also a small ampalaya variety called ampalayang gubat, which is generally not cultivated, but is occasionally found in the wild and is considered the most nutritious variety.

                                            Ginisang ampalaya

In Filipino cuisine ampalaya is cooked as ginisang ampalaya, sauteed in garlic, onion, tomatoes and, in my case mashed tofu replacing scrambled egg.  I also cook it with paksiw but instead of bangus since I don’t eat fish, I use tofu with seaweeds. Other popular dishes using ampalaya is ginataang ampalaya, ensaladang ampalaya and just plain sliced and fried ampalaya (malasado) with salt. It goes well with hot rice.

                    The more popular varieties of talong and ampalaya

                           Native talong and wild ampalaya varieties 

Adobo

Adobo, which is originally a pork or chicken dish, is considered the Philippine's national dish. Adobo, however,  is not Filipino in origin, it is Mexican, that originated in Spain thousands of years ago.  

The word 'adobo' comes from the Spanish word 'adobar' which means to marinate, pickle or cure. As always, there is no one and only recipe for adobo.

                  

                                              Olive oil

Spanish adobo is a pickling sauce made by cooking together olive oil, vinegar, garlic, thyme, laurel, oregano, paprika and salt. 

                                     Red Guajillo chilis

Mexican adobo is a paste typically containing red guajillo chillies, spices, herbs and vinegar.

In the Philippines, a dish prepared this way is called 'adobado'. 

Filipino adobo is  cooked in a pickling mixture of vinegar, garlic, bay leaf and peppercorn. Later, soy sauce was introduced by the Chinese traders.

There are many vegetables that can be cooked adobo style, such as talong and ampalaya. In my cooking, I often feature different kinds of adobong gulay  recipes such as sitaw, kangkong, kamansi, langka, puso and many others.

                     Slices of talong and ampalaya ready for cooking  

Here is my recipe of adobong talong at ampalaya:

Ingredients:

2 pcs medium talong

2 pcs medium ampalaya

2 Tbsp garlic

or 2 Tbsp leeks or spring onions

1/4 c soy sauce

1/4 c vinegar

1/4 c water

1 Tbsp adobo mix powder

1 tsp crushed peppercorn

 

Procedure:

1. Saute garlic, leeks or spring onion in oil. Add soy sauce,vinegar,water,  adobo mix powder and crushed peppercorn.

2. Add talong and ampalaya. Cover and cook. When vegetables are tender, remove from heat . Serve.

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