Baek Jong-won Style Eggplant Rice
Flavorful One-Bowl Eggplant Rice: A Delicious Recipe by Baek Jong-won!
Experience the irresistible texture and taste of tender, melt-in-your-mouth eggplant. This dish blends beautifully with rice, creating a savory and addictive one-bowl meal that you’ll want to enjoy again and again. Discover the delightful Baek Jong-won Eggplant Rice recipe!
Main Ingredients- 4 Eggplants
- 1/2 cup Minced Pork (approx. 80g)
- 1 Green Onion (approx. 100g)
- 2 cups Rice, soaked for 30 minutes (approx. 360g)
- 2 Tbsp Perilla Oil
- 3 Tbsp Soy Sauce (for cooking rice)
- 1.5 cups Water (approx. 270ml)
Seasoning Sauce Ingredients- 5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (or crushed)
Garnishes & Sides- A pinch of Seaweed Flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp Vinegar (for cabbage salad)
- 100g Cabbage (approx. 1/4 head)
- 5 Tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
- 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds (or crushed)
Garnishes & Sides- A pinch of Seaweed Flakes
- 1/2 Tbsp Vinegar (for cabbage salad)
- 100g Cabbage (approx. 1/4 head)
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash the eggplants and trim off the stems. Cut each eggplant in half lengthwise, then slice them crosswise at 0.5cm intervals, resembling rice grains.
Step 2
Finely chop the green onion. Also, mince the white part of the green onion (about 4cm length) for the seasoning sauce.
Step 3
Heat a frying pan and add 2 tablespoons of perilla oil. Add the chopped green onion and sauté over low heat until fragrant and softened, creating an aromatic green onion oil.
Step 4
Once the green onion is fragrant, add the minced pork. Increase the heat to medium and stir-fry until the pork is no longer pink. Break up any clumps of meat as you cook.
Step 5
Now, add the prepared eggplant slices to the pan. Stir-fry them together for about 2-3 minutes, until the eggplant is about half wilted. Be careful not to overcook it to a mushy consistency.
Step 6
After the eggplant and pork are mixed, pour 3 tablespoons of soy sauce around the edges of the pan. Stir-fry with the ingredients for 1-2 minutes, allowing the soy sauce to reduce and coat everything. This infuses the eggplant with a delicious soy sauce flavor.
Step 7
It’s time to cook the rice. In your rice cooker, add 2 cups of rice that has been soaked for 30 minutes. Top with the cooked eggplant and pork mixture. Pour in 1.5 cups of water and cook using your usual rice setting. Your flavorful eggplant rice will be ready!
Step 8
While the rice is cooking, let’s prepare the seasoning sauce. Finely chop the chives, red chili pepper, and green chili pepper for the sauce. Thinly slice the cabbage for a refreshing side salad.
Step 9
In a bowl, combine all the seasoning sauce ingredients: 5 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon gochugaru, 1 tablespoon minced garlic, 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil, and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. Mix well until thoroughly combined. Your delicious seasoning sauce is ready!
Step 10
For the cabbage salad, take the thinly sliced cabbage and add 1.5 tablespoons of the prepared seasoning sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of vinegar. Gently mix and massage the ingredients together until the cabbage is well-coated. This tangy cabbage salad will complement the eggplant rice wonderfully.
Step 11
Serve the hot, freshly cooked eggplant rice. Top it with your desired amount of seasoning sauce, the prepared cabbage salad, and seaweed flakes. Mix everything together and enjoy the delightful combination of tender eggplant and rich seasonings!
