Gochujang-Glazed Eggplant With Fried Scallions
Published September 29, 2020
Christopher Simpson for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
1 pound Asian eggplant (about 3 large; preferably Korean, or Chinese or Japanese), halved lengthwise and cut into 4- to 5-inch segments
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons gochujang
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 packed teaspoons dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
½ cup olive oil
4 scallions, trimmed, cut into 3-inch segments, then very thinly sliced lengthwise, white and green parts separated
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)
9 grams carbs; 177 calories; 11 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 16 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 364 milligrams sodium; 2 grams protein; 5 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Place the eggplant in a colander set inside a large bowl or the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, in a small bowl, add the gochujang, soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and garlic. Whisk to combine, then set aside.
- Step 3
To a large nonstick skillet, add the olive oil and the white parts of the scallions. Turn the heat to medium and fry the scallions, stirring often, until crispy and evenly browned, about 8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried scallions onto a paper towel.
- Step 4
Reserve a small handful of raw scallion greens for garnish, then fry the remaining scallion greens in the oil until crispy and lightly browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer fried scallion greens onto a paper towel.
- Step 5
Remove the skillet from the heat and carefully pour the hot scallion oil into a glass container or measuring cup.
- Step 6
After the 30 minutes of salting, dry the eggplant segments with a paper towel. Place the skillet over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the reserved scallion oil.
- Step 7
When the oil starts to shimmer and you see a wisp of smoke, add half the eggplant, cut sides down, and fry until browned and starting to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip once and cook another minute on the other side. Transfer to a plate, add 2 more tablespoons of scallion oil back to the pan, and repeat to fry the second batch of eggplants. (If you are lucky enough to have any scallion oil left, use it to fry eggs or to dress a salad.)
- Step 8
Finally, sauce the eggplants: Add the first batch of eggplants back to the pan alongside the second batch. Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour the reserved gochujang sauce over the eggplants. Toss until evenly coated and the gochujang starts to caramelize, about 1 minute.
- Step 9
Plate the eggplants on a large platter and garnish with the fried scallions and the reserved raw scallion greens. Serve immediately. (To store for later, transfer to a resealable container and keep in the refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. This dish tastes great cold, straight out of the fridge, or at room temperature.)
Private Notes
Comments
Brilliant recipe - the scallions are the star!!. I used a wok. You can do the scallions more simply by starting with the white parts and adding in the green as the whites just start to color. Putting a lid on the wok while cooking the eggplant makes sure they get nice and soft. We served with steamed Bok Choi with a white miso/lime dressing and white rice.
"Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture." excess moisture moisture sture ure re e .
I have never salted the thin style eggplants and they have never been bitter. I skipped this step and the result was still delicious.
I am wondering if I’m the only one who found this to be just too salty - not inedible, and even in some ways kind of comfort food, but just too heavy handed on the sodium and you wouldn’t want to eat more than a couple halves of eggplant in a sitting and certainly not as a main course. I drank a lot of water afterwards! It took over the dish. Between soy sauce, the gochujang, and then salting the eggplant to take the water out (the latter of which I did try to remove before frying, but nonetheless), this seems like a setup for too much. However, I don’t have other peoples’ result to compare, and not sure if it was meant to be like this or something I did. I’ll try to adjust for next time: maybe cut back on the soy sauce, use minimal sauce during the water extraction step, and also not include too much sauce with the eggplant.
Loved this, totally worth it. At the last minute realized I was missing gochujang so I followed another comments advice and used miso and added some chilli garlic sauce for,heat.
Eric Kim I love your recipes! As you are Korean American I am Mexican American and love how to infuse your Korean heritage into your American identity as well. I want to swap recipes with my Mexican background and cook together. Ok ok I’m laying it on too thick :P Thank you for your recipes. You’re great. Your recipes are great. There, I said it.