Why isn’t Filipino food more popular in the UK? Filipino restaurants are distinctly lacking compared with those featuring the food of the country’s south-east Asian cousins. This must change, because Filipino cuisine offers an amazing variety of delicious dishes that need to be sampled. I learned how to make these aubergine omelettes from my Filipina friend Regie while working in Malawi. They are so simple and are a great idea for brunch after a morning run (you can prepare the aubergines in advance). The sauce should ideally be made with calamansi (also known as the Philippine lime), but works well with limes normally available in the UK. It has a lovely sweet-and-sour umami.
Makes 4 omelettes (serves 2)
For the omelettes:
4 small aubergines
4 eggs
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
Black pepper to taste
For the sauce:
30g soy sauce
30g lime juice
20g honey
Cook the aubergines either under a grill or over an open flame until the skins are black and steam is coming out of the middle. Allow to cool slightly, peel off the skin (leaving the stalk in place) and set aside.
Put the sauce ingredients into a small jar and shake to combine.
Heat up a frying pan and grease lightly with oil. In a bowl, whisk the first egg with half a clove of minced garlic, a quarter of a teaspoon of salt and a couple of turns with the pepper mill.
Place the first burnt aubergine into the pan and press down with a fork to fan out the flesh. Pour over the egg mixture and fry until golden brown underneath. Flip and cook for a further minute on the other side.
Repeat with the other burnt aubergines and eggs, then serve with the soy lime sauce.
