Geon Gaji Namul Bokkeum, Geon Hobak Namul Bokkeum

Ingredients

• Pour plenty of water over the dried eggplant and let it soak for about 1 hour. Because it is light, weigh it down with a steaming rack or a plate so it stays fully submerged.
• Dried zucchini has firmer and thicker flesh than eggplant, so pour plenty of water over it and let it soak for more than 1 hour.
• When one 120 g bag of dried zucchini (hobak-goji) or dried eggplant is soaked in water and squeezed tightly, it expands to about double (approx. 200 g).
• Once the vegetables are soaked soft, rinse them several times in water to prevent any unpleasant odors, then squeeze out the moisture tightly.

Steps

1. Prepare the ingredients

   

   

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   This is dried zucchini, also called hobak-goji. It is one 120 g bag. (Later, once soaked in water and squeezed tightly, the weight will expand to about 200 g.)

   I also prepared the same 120 g of dried eggplant. (Like the zucchini, eggplant also expands to about double once soaked.)

2. Soak the dried eggplant

   

   

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   Pour plenty of water over the dried eggplant and let it soak for about 1 hour.

   Because it is light, it tends to float instead of staying submerged. Use a steaming rack or a plate to keep it fully submerged in the water.

   

   

   

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   Once the eggplant is soaked soft, rinse it several times in water to prevent any unpleasant odors, and squeeze out the moisture tightly.

   Soaked this way, it increases in volume and weight to about double the original amount, reaching 200 g.

3. Soak the dried zucchini

   

   

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   Pour plenty of water over the dried zucchini as well and let it soak for more than 1 hour.

   Because its flesh is firmer and thicker than eggplant, extend the soaking time.

   

   

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   When it bends softly like this without breaking, rinse it several times and squeeze out the moisture tightly.

4. Season the zucchini and eggplant

   

   

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   Add 1 tbsp soup soy sauce (guk-ganjang), 2 tbsp minced green onion, 1/2 tbsp minced garlic, and 1 tbsp mirin (cooking rice wine) to the soaked zucchini, then mix thoroughly.

   I added mirin to remove any musty smell.

   If you want to add more savory umami, you can use tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek) instead of soup soy sauce and salt.

   

   Toss the soaked eggplant with the exact same seasoning.

5. Stir-fry

   

   Drizzle a little cooking oil in a pan, add the seasoned zucchini, and stir-fry briskly to coat it with oil.

   

   

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   Pour in 1/2 cup anchovy broth, stir once, then cover with a lid and let it steam over low heat.

   When making preserved namul, this steaming step is essential to make it tender all the way to the center.

   This step makes a big difference in the texture of the greens, and especially for zucchini with its firm texture, it allows the seasoning to penetrate deeply.

   Adjust the time anywhere from as short as 2 to 3 minutes to as long as 5 minutes until it is soft to chew; if the liquid seems low, add more water or broth and let it steam while stirring occasionally.

   

   

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   Remove the lid and stir-fry to let the remaining moisture evaporate, then adjust the remaining seasoning by adding a little salt (1/2 tsp)...

   Finish at the end by adding 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil or perilla oil and 1 tbsp ground toasted sesame seeds.

   

   

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   The eggplant namul is done the exact same way as the stir-fried zucchini.

   Drizzle cooking oil in the pan, stir-fry, and pour in 1/2 cup anchovy broth.

   Cover with a lid to let it steam, and once it feels tenderly cooked...

   

   

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   Stir-fry while evaporating the moisture, adjust with a little salt if it tastes bland, and finish at the end with toasted sesame oil and ground toasted sesame seeds.

6. Complete

   

   Without boiling the dried zucchini or dried eggplant, simply soaking them and letting them steam well while stir-frying allows the seasoning to soak all the way through while preserving great texture.

   

   

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Ppunwife's tips

• Because dried eggplant is light, use a steaming rack or a plate to keep it fully submerged in the water.
• Mirin is added to remove musty smells, and if you want to add more savory umami, you can use tuna extract sauce instead of soup soy sauce and salt.
• To make preserved namul tender all the way through, the process of pouring in anchovy broth, covering with a lid, and steaming over low heat is important.
• Without boiling the dried zucchini or dried eggplant, simply soaking them and letting them steam well while stir-frying allows the seasoning to soak all the way through while preserving great texture.

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