Aromatic Eggplant Rice (GajI Bap)
#EggplantRice #BaekJongWonRecipe #SuperEasyHomeMeal
Introducing the ‘GajI Bap’ recipe, made even more famous by its appearance on TV! This delicious dish is so good that even picky eaters who usually don’t like eggplant will finish a whole bowl in no time. Enjoy a wonderful meal that balances both taste and nutrition with this simple recipe that anyone can follow. 🍚✨
Main Ingredients for Eggplant Rice
- 5 Eggplants
- 300g Ground Pork
- 1 stalk Green Onion (for cooking rice)
Amazing Seasoning Sauce
- 1/2 stalk Green Onion (for sauce)
- 1 cup Soy Sauce
- 4 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- A little Minced Garlic
- 1/2 stalk Green Onion (for sauce)
- 1 cup Soy Sauce
- 4 Tbsp Sesame Oil
- 2 Tbsp Gochugaru (Korean chili flakes)
- 2 Tbsp Toasted Sesame Seeds
- A little Minced Garlic
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, rinse the rice thoroughly and let it soak in water. (Use the same amount of water you normally use for cooking rice.)
Step 2
Wash the eggplants under running water and prepare them.
Step 3
Trim the ends of the eggplants. Slice them into bite-sized pieces suitable for topping rice, about 1-1.5cm thick, either half-moons or diagonally. Slicing them too thin might cause them to become mushy during cooking.
Step 4
Finely chop 1 green onion to be used when cooking the rice.
Step 5
In a deep pan or pot, add a generous amount of cooking oil. Add half of the chopped green onion (or 1/2 stalk) and sauté over medium-low heat until fragrant and slightly caramelized, creating a delicious green onion oil. It’s important to cook the green onion until its sweet aroma is released.
Step 6
Once the green onion oil is ready, add the ground pork. Increase the heat to high and stir-fry, breaking up any clumps, until the pork is nicely browned. Season with a pinch of pepper to help remove any gamey odors.
Step 7
When the pork is almost cooked through, add the minced garlic and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Be careful not to overcook the garlic, as it can burn.
Step 8
Add the prepared eggplant slices and stir-fry together. Once the eggplant starts to turn translucent and wilt slightly, pour in about 4 tablespoons of soy sauce along the edges of the pan. Stir-frying until the soy sauce slightly caramelizes at the bottom of the pan can add a deeper flavor.
Step 9
Continue to stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes, allowing the eggplant and pork to meld with the soy sauce. It’s best to keep the eggplant tender yet slightly firm, not overly soft.
Step 10
Now, place the soaked rice in your rice cooker. Evenly distribute the stir-fried eggplant and pork mixture on top of the rice. Then, cook the rice as you normally would by pressing the ‘cook’ button. (White rice setting is recommended.)
Step 11
While the rice is cooking, let’s make the delicious seasoning sauce. In a medium-sized bowl, combine all the sauce ingredients (remaining green onion, 1 cup soy sauce, 4 Tbsp sesame oil, 2 Tbsp gochugaru, 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds, and a little minced garlic). Mix well.
Step 12
Simply mix all the ingredients together until well combined, and your flavorful seasoning sauce is ready! Feel free to adjust the seasoning to your taste.
Step 13
The delicious eggplant rice is almost ready! The fluffy rice, cooked to perfection in the rice cooker, along with the eggplant and pork topping, creates a mouth-watering visual.
Step 14
Serve a generous portion of the warm eggplant rice into a bowl. Drizzle the prepared seasoning sauce over it and mix well. Take a big bite, and the combination of the tender eggplant, savory pork, and perfectly balanced seasoning sauce will fill your mouth with delightful flavors. A fantastic one-bowl meal is instantly ready! 🥢
