Hearty Gaji Bap (Eggplant Rice) with Chewy Texture
A special one-bowl dish where dry-roasted eggplant and mushrooms are folded into freshly cooked rice and mixed with a seasoned sauce.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
Instead of cooking the eggplant together with the rice, it is dry-roasted separately in an ungreased pan to evaporate moisture and maximize its pleasantly chewy texture. Paired with aromatic shiitake mushrooms and a sweet-and-spicy soy sauce seasoning, it makes a satisfying meal even without any other side dishes.
- Servings
- 3–4 servings
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- White rice2 cups
- Water2 cups
- Eggplant2
- Salt1/4 tsp
- Shiitake mushrooms4, 150 g
Seasoning
- Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)2 tbsp
- Minced green onion (or scallions (jjokpa))4 tbsp
- Red chili pepper1 (minced)
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))4 tbsp
- Soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang) (or soup)1 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot) (or green plum syrup (maesil-cheong))1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1/2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seedsas needed
- Perilla oil (or toasted sesame oil)as needed (when mixing with rice)
- Adding mushrooms along with the eggplant doubles the texture, nutrition, and flavor.
- Gently scrape off any dirt or debris clinging to the ends of the shiitake mushroom stems, and rinse them lightly under running water to wash away dirt and dust.
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Prepare 2 large eggplants and 4 thick shiitake mushrooms.
Cut the ingredients
Dice the eggplants into medium-sized cubes.
Gently scrape off any dirt or debris clinging to the ends of the shiitake mushroom stems.
Rinse them lightly under running water to wash away dirt and dust.
The caps are thick, so slice them horizontally once or twice.
Slice them into bite-sized strips. Since the stems are tough, slice them even more thinly.
Pan-fry the ingredients
Pan-frying the eggplant without oil, almost like grilling it, keeps it from turning mushy and makes it chewy, so it retains great texture even when mixed into rice.
Season with 1/4 tsp salt and pan-fry.
Stir-fry until the eggplant releases its moisture, wilts, and turns pleasantly chewy, then transfer it to a plate to cool.
Pan-fry the mushrooms without oil as well until wilted.
Make the sauce
Remove the seeds from 1 red chili pepper for the sauce and finely mince it, and finely chop the scallions or large green onion.
Add the minced green onion and chili pepper, add all the remaining sauce ingredients, and mix well.
This sauce is also great for soybean sprout rice (kongnamul bap) or wild chive sauce (dallae-jang).
Mix the ingredients
Add the stir-fried eggplant and mushrooms to the rice cooked from 2 cups of white rice, and mix evenly.
Serve
Spoon the gaji bap into bowls and garnish with scallions and red chili pepper to finish.
Pan-frying the ingredients separately makes the texture and aroma much better.
Add about 2 tbsp of sauce to a bowl of gaji bap, drizzle with perilla oil or toasted sesame oil, and mix; your mouth will water and your appetite will kick right in.
How about gaji bap for lunch today?
Ppunwife's tips
- Instead of cooking the eggplant with the rice, pan-fry it separately and fold it in for a bonus of wonderfully chewy texture.
- Pan-frying the eggplant without oil, almost like grilling it, keeps it from turning mushy and makes it chewy, so it retains great texture even when mixed into rice.
- This sauce is also great to use for soybean sprout rice (kongnamul bap) or wild chive sauce (dallae-jang).
FAQ
Why isn't the eggplant cooked directly in the rice cooker with the rice?
Pan-frying it separately in a dry pan drives off excess moisture, preventing the eggplant from turning soggy and keeping its chewy texture intact.
Can the corn syrup in the sauce be replaced with another ingredient?
You can replace the corn syrup with an equal amount of green plum syrup (maesil-cheong) when making the sauce.
Can the finished sauce be used in other dishes?
Yes, beyond gaji bap, it works wonderfully as a mixing sauce for soybean sprout rice (kongnamul bap) or as wild chive sauce (dallae-jang).
