All recipe posts are written by our co-founder Jennifer J. Yoo unless otherwise noted.
I love eggplant stir fries or roasted eggplants, but steamed eggplants has always been one of my favorite ways to have them. Steaming the eggplant changes the texture in a way that it becomes soft and fluffy. Asian eggplants (sometimes marked Chinese or Japanese eggplants) work best for steaming due to its shape, milder flavor and thinner skin though you could probably substitute with Italian eggplants if that's what is available at your local market. Keep the extra sauce in your fridge and use it to dip pan-fried tofu, poached chicken or mix it in with rice and top it with grilled fish.
TIME 30 minutes
SERVES 2-4 people, mainly as an appetizer or side dish
INGREDIENTS
- 2 Chinese eggplants (also known as Japanese eggplants)
- 2 scallions, chopped fine
- 25g chinese leeks (also known as garlic chives)
- 2 green Korean chili peppers (can substitute with 1 1/2 jalapeno or 1 jalapeno + 1 serrano)
- 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
- 1/2 cup soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons gochugaru
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar + 1 tablespoon warm water
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, powdered (if using seeds, use 2 tablespoons)
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cut the eggplants lengthwise, then into about 3-4" pieces. Each eggplant should yield about 6-8 pieces.
- Put the eggplant pieces, skin side down, and steam for about 7 minutes.
- In the mean time, put rest of the ingredients together and stir gently. Adding sugar in a tablespoon of warm water prior will ensure sugar is fully dissolved.
- Plate the eggplants and drizzle the sauce over. Serve with extra sauce on the side.
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