Chewy Gaji Bokkeum (Stir Fried Eggplant)

Ingredients

• The red chili pepper is mainly for color, so you can replace it with carrot or omit it entirely.
• Salt the eggplant for at least 20 minutes and up to 30 minutes.

Steps

1. Prepare the ingredients

   

   Here are 4 medium eggplants.

   You will also need an onion, large green onion, Cheongyang chili pepper, and red chili pepper.

   The red chili pepper is just for color, so you can use carrot instead or leave it out.

2. Slice the ingredients

   

   

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   Cut the eggplants in half lengthwise, then slice them diagonally into fairly thick pieces about 0.6 to 0.7 cm thick.

   Split the large green onion in half lengthwise before slicing, as it will be used to make flavored oil.

   Thinly slice the onion, and slice the chili peppers thinly on the diagonal.

3. Salt the eggplant

   

   

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   After slicing 4 eggplants, it looks like a huge amount.

   Once salted, it shrinks down dramatically to about the volume of 2 eggplants.

   First, add 1 tbsp of salt and mix thoroughly.

   Salt for at least 20 minutes and up to 30 minutes, tossing once or twice in between so they brine evenly.

   

   

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   As the eggplants soften, a lot of moisture will be drawn out. You can adjust the salting time depending on the thickness of the slices.

   Squeeze them firmly with your hands to remove the moisture.

4. Stir-fry

   

   

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   Heat a drizzle of cooking oil in a pan, add the large green onion and 1 tbsp minced garlic, and stir-fry without burning until fragrant.

   

   

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   Add the eggplant and toss once to coat with oil, then add 1/2 tbsp regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) and 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce, stir-frying so everything mixes evenly.

   You might think it would taste bland, but because the eggplant has already absorbed a bit of salt, it does not need much seasoning.

   You can always adjust the seasoning after everything is cooked.

   

   

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   Add the onion, chili peppers, and 1 tbsp corn syrup (mulyeot), then stir-fry briefly over high heat until all the ingredients are glossy and well combined.

   

   

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   Adjust any missing saltiness with salt and tweak the sweetness to your taste.

   Turn off the heat, then finish with 1 tbsp perilla oil, 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, and a pinch of ground black pepper.

5. Serve

   

   The stir-fried eggplant is finished.

   

   Finishing it with perilla oil gives it such a rich, savory flavor that I really love.

   

   If you have a lot of eggplants in your fridge, try salting them first. The volume reduces dramatically.

   Cooked this way, you will be completely pleased with the texture, flavor, and vibrant colors.

Ppunwife's tips

• Rather than cooking the eggplant down in the pan until soft, salting it first to draw out moisture and then stir-frying briefly cuts down on the oil and seasoning needed while creating a wonderfully chewy texture.
• Because the eggplant is lightly pre-seasoned from the salting step, it does not require heavy seasoning. You can easily adjust any missing saltiness once it finishes cooking.

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