Korea · 25 min · Vegan · Side dish · For beginners
Gaji-namul
In German: Auberginen-Namul · In English: Steamed Eggplant Side Dish
For 4 servings · US units
Steamed eggplant with garlic and sesame oil — served at room temperature or chilled
Gaji-namul is one of those Korean side dishes that comes together in about 25 minutes and then keeps earning its place in the fridge all week. The eggplant steams until silky, gets torn into strips and tossed with soy sauce, garlic, sesame oil and a pinch of chili — and it's eaten at room temperature rather than hot, alongside a bowl of rice. Exactly the kind of banchan you want on an ordinary weeknight table.
Ingredients
- 14⅛ ozEggplantpreferably slim Asian variety, halved lengthwise
- 1 tbspSoy saucefor the seasoning sauce
- 1 tspadds savory depth, listed as optional in one sourceA pale, very salty Korean soy sauce made from fermented soybean blocks, used to season soups and vegetable side dishes.Substitute: The closest match is Japanese light soy sauce (usukuchi), which is also pale and salty but milder and lacks the earthy fermented note of the Korean sauce. Ordinary soy sauce is only a stopgap: it darkens broth and vegetables and tastes sweeter, so use less of it and make up the difference with a little salt.Read more
- 2 clovesGarlicfinely minced
- 1½ tsptoasted, for finishingDark oil pressed from toasted sesame seeds, with a strong, nutty, roasted aroma; usually added at the end in small amounts as a seasoning.Substitute: There is no real substitute, as no other oil carries the roasted aroma; at a pinch, a neutral oil with freshly pan-toasted, crushed sesame seeds helps, though the flavour stays clearly weaker.Read more
- 2 tspSesame seedstoasted, for tossing and sprinkling
- 1finely chopped, e.g. cheongyangA fresh chili picked unripe, grassy and bright, ranging from mild to very hot depending on the variety.Substitute: For the mild variety, use long green peppers or mild green peppers such as Italian frying peppers; for the hot one, jalapeño or serrano. The fresh character stays the same, and you only need to adjust the amount for heat.Read more
- ½ tspcoarse, for color and mild heatDried, coarsely ground Korean chilies without seeds, bright red, mild to medium hot, fruity and slightly smoky.Substitute: The closest match is Aleppo pepper or pul biber from a Turkish grocery, which is similarly mild and fruity but can be oilier and a little saltier. A mix of sweet paprika with a small amount of cayenne matches the color and heat, but not the fruitiness or the coarse texture. Ordinary chili flakes are not a good substitute, because in the quantities a Korean recipe calls for they become far too hot; for kimchi, real gochugaru cannot really be replaced.Read more
- 1 tspSugarbalances the seasoning sauce
- 1red chiliseeded, finely chopped, for color (optional)
- 1spring onionsfinely chopped (optional)
- 1 tbspfor gloss and sweetness; rice syrup works too (optional)A clear, runny syrup made from oligosaccharides, more mildly sweet than sugar — the everyday Korean sweetener for gloss and body.Substitute: Brown rice syrup from a health food shop comes closest, with a similar gloss and mildness, though it tastes faintly of malt. Glucose syrup or light corn syrup match the gloss and body well but are somewhat sweeter, so use a little less. Honey works at a pinch but brings a clear flavour of its own and more sweetness.Read more
- 2 tbspVinegarfor the soaking water to keep the eggplant from browning (optional)
- Saltto taste (optional)
- vegetable oilonly if the eggplant is pan-fried (optional)
- 1 tspfor umami; makes the dish non-vegan (optional)Korean seasoning sauce made from tuna or bonito extract and soy sauce, salty, smoky and full of umami, much milder than anchovy fish sauce.Substitute: The closest match is Japanese soy-based dashi concentrate such as shiro dashi, which is also built on bonito. At a pinch, mix light soy sauce with a little dashi or bonito flake stock; this matches the salt and umami but is less rounded. Thai or anchovy fish sauce is not an equivalent substitute: it is far stronger and more fermented in smell and should only be used in small amounts.Read more
Method
- Prep the eggplantWash the eggplant, trim off the stem end, halve it lengthwise and cut the halves into bite-sized segments; slim Asian eggplants work best here.
- Optional vinegar soakIf you like, soak the pieces for 5 minutes in water with the vinegar so they don't brown, then drain them well.
- Steam until tenderBring water to a boil in a pot fitted with a steamer insert, add the eggplant, cover and steam until a chopstick slides through without resistance. Start checking after 3 to 4 minutes; thicker pieces can take up to around 10. Don't let them go to mush — they should still hold their shape.
- Cool and tear into stripsLet the eggplant cool briefly, then tear or cut it into bite-sized strips.
- Mix the seasoning sauceFor the seasoning sauce, stir together the soy sauce, Korean soup soy sauce, minced garlic, sugar, Korean chili flakes and sesame oil; season with salt if it needs it.
- Toss with the sauceFold the eggplant gently into the sauce, taking care not to crush the pieces.
- Add chili and sesameMix in the chopped green chili, the red chili and spring onions if you're using them, and the toasted sesame seeds.
- Serve with riceServe at room temperature or chilled, with rice.
Tips and variations
Instead of steaming, you can pan-fry the eggplant: cut it on the diagonal into slices rather than segments and fry them in a little vegetable oil until golden on both sides — the slices then go straight into the sauce without being torn. A plainer seasoning uses only Korean soup soy sauce, garlic, spring onions, sesame oil and sesame seeds, leaving out the regular soy sauce, the chili and the sugar. A sweeter, bolder version adds oligosaccharide syrup (rice syrup does the job as well) along with the sugar and Korean chili flakes, plus a teaspoon of tuna fish sauce for extra umami — though that takes the dish out of vegan territory. Serve gaji-namul at room temperature or straight from the fridge with a bowl of rice; covered, it keeps there for up to a week.
Allergens
Contains: Cereals containing gluten, Sesame, Soybeans
May contain if you use the optional ingredients: Fish
These notes follow from this recipe's ingredient list. Ready-made products and brands may contain further allergens — please check the packaging yourself.
Something not right?
This recipe was put together from independent sources and checked before publishing. Even so, a mistake can slip through — an amount that does not add up, a step that does not work as written. If you spot something, write to us: we will look into it and put it right.
