Relyenong Talong with Tuna

When you begin cooking Filipino dishes, you will quickly get a sense of just how creatively done most of these recipes are. Who would have thought to mix tamarind with various veggies like tomatoes to create an irresistibly sour stew— Sinigang? The thought of how some of the most famous Filipino recipes came about always inspires me to craft something unique and tasty. And so this Relyenong Talong with Tuna was born, and made with some truly flavorful and delicious ingredients to create something new and exciting!

But if you have never tried a relyeno dish before, let me introduce you to quite a popular way of making food in the Philippines. 

Getting to Know Relyeno Dishes

This essentially involves stuffing seafood with a semi-sweet, semi-savory meat filling. The most popular version is the Relyenong Bangus, which makes use of yummy milkfish. But as Pinoy food evolves, we also get to see variations wherein it is not seafood we stuff. A great example is this Relyenong Talong, which also diverges from the usual path we see for Relyeno as the filling’s main ingredient is tuna!

Let me show you other ways you could have your relyeno!

But let’s go back to our main recipe— the tasty Relyenong Talong with Tuna! This can be a bit of a challenge to make as it will involve more than just frying your ingredients together. However, it can be truly fun to assemble this, and get a bit creative with plating. Why not give it a shot?

How to Make Relyenong Talong with Tuna

The first thing you must do is slice each of your 3 large eggplants crosswise, ensuring it is half an inch thick. Then cut around the inside area of each slice to make your eggplant rings. Then chop up the part that was cut out, and then set this aside for now.

Pour 3 tablespoons of cooking oil into a pan, and let this heat up. Then integrate 1 onion, and 2 cloves of garlic, and proceed to sauté these. Continue cooking until the onion becomes soft. Then you can put 12 ounces of canned tuna, as well as your chopped eggplant, inside. We will cook all of this for 3 to 5 minutes. Then pour 2 teaspoons of Knorr Liquid Seasoning inside. After that, just transfer everything to a mixing bowl, and wait for it to cool. 

Now just beat your 2 eggs, and then put this in your mixture in the bowl as well. Get your ½ cup of minced carrot, and place half of this in the bowl, alongside 1 bell pepper you’ve chopped, and ½ cup of chopped spring onions. Mix everything thoroughly.

Pour the oil you have remaining from the ½ cup you prepared for this recipe into a pan. Then heat this up. We will now fry the first side of each eggplant ring for 1 minute. Then flip them over to cook the other side. 

Add some of your minced carrot, bell pepper, and green onions in each ring. Then you can get your tuna mixture from earlier, and scoop some of this into the rings too. Make sure they are evenly distributed by spreading them gently in the ring. Then put the stove on medium heat, and cook everything for 2 more minutes.

Top this off with some minced carrot, bell pepper and green onions. Flip this over, and then we will just let the next side cook for a good 2 to 3 minutes. Then you can take the relyenong talong off the pan, and place it on your serving plate! I would definitely suggest having this with some tasty banana ketchup.

Liked this recipe? Tell me how your cooking experience went in the comments below!

Did you make this? If you snap a photo, please be sure tag us on Instagram at @panlasangpinoy or hashtag #panlasangpinoy so we can see your creations!

Relyenong Talong with Tuna

Eggplant stuffed with tuna

Prep: 15 minutes minutes

Cook: 20 minutes minutes

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Ingredients

• ▢ 3 eggplants large
• ▢ 2 teaspoons Knorr Liquid Seasoning
• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 12 ounces tuna in can
• ▢ 1 bell pepper chopped
• ▢ ½ cup carrot minced
• ▢ 1 onion
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic chopped
• ▢ ½ cup cooking oil
• ▢ 1/2 cup green onion chopepd

Instructions

• Slice the eggplants crosswise, half an inch thick. Create eggplant rings by cutting around the inside part of each sliced eggplant. Chop the part that has been cut-out and set it aside.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan. Sauté onion and garlic. Add tuna and chopped eggplant once the onion softens. Cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Season with Knorr Liquid Seasoning. Transfer to a mixing bowl and let it cool down.
• Beat the eggs and add it to the cooked mixture in the bowl. Also add half of the carrot, green onions, and bell peppers. Mix well.
• Heat the remaining oil. Fry one side of the eggplant rings for 1 minute.
• Turn the eggplant over to cook the opposite side. Sprinkle some minced carrot, bell pepper, and green onions in each ring. Top it with a scoop of tuna mixture. Gently spread the mixture within the ring. Set your stove to medium heat and continue cooking for 2 minutes.
• Top the mixture with minced carrot, bell pepper, and green onions. Turn it over and cook the other side for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove the relyenong talong from the pan and arrange it on a serving plate. Serve with banana ketchup. Share and enjoy!

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Nutrition Information

Calories: 475kcal (24%) Carbohydrates: 28g (9%) Protein: 24g (48%) Fat: 32g (49%) Saturated Fat: 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 9g Monounsaturated Fat: 19g Trans Fat: 0.1g Cholesterol: 112mg (37%) Sodium: 408mg (17%) Potassium: 1168mg (33%) Fiber: 12g (48%) Sugar: 16g (18%) Vitamin A: 3976IU (80%) Vitamin C: 51mg (62%) Calcium: 85mg (9%) Iron: 3mg (17%)

© copyright: Vanjo Merano