Eggplant Side Dish - Gaji-namul 가지나물

Saw this simple to whip out egg plant salad/side dish on Maangchi website and how could I not make it as I was drooling all the way reading through the ingredients for making this mouthwatering side dish.  Gaji-namul is a everyday Korean side dish, meant to be eaten with other side dishes and rice.  

A keeper for me for sure as I love the flavor packed seasoning mixture.   Love the taste and texture of this side dish. This goes well with my other meat dishes.  I am so hooked with Maangchi recipes. I tell myself that I will try out every one of her recipes :)  A die hard fan of hers.  Love her simple to make dishes and hope you guys after reading this will hop over to her  maangchi.com and test out her other delicious dishes :)

I made this eggplant dish using organic eggplant.  My neighbor will pass one over to me one each time she harvest hers and it came in handy for making side dishes :) Thank you Su-Peng for sharing your organic edibles with me.  

organic eggplant given by my neighbor :)

flavor packed seasoning mixture

fresh taste, soft texture and healthy korean side dish 

Eggplant Side Dish - Gaji-namul 가지나물 - adapted from Maangchi

ingredients:

1 pound of Korean eggplants (3-4 eggplants), caps removed and washed
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, chopped
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon fish sauce  * for vegetarian use soy-sauce
1 teaspoon hot pepper flakes
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sesame seeds, crushed

Preparation:

1. Prep your steamer by adding 2 cups of water to it. Set heat to medium-high for it to boil, it shoud take about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, cut eggplants crosswise into 2½ inch pieces. Cut the thicker pieces in half lengthwise.
3. When the water starts boiling, put the eggplants on the steamer rack and cover. Steam for 5 minutes over medium high heat.
4. Remove from the heat. Take out the steamed eggplant and transfer to a cutting board. Let cool for 5 to 10 minutes until you can easily handle them.
5. Tear each piece into bite size pieces.
Make seasoning mixture:
1. Combine garlic, green onion, soy sauce, fish sauce, hot pepper flakes, sesame oil in a mixing bowl.
2. Mix well with a wooden spoon

 Put it together & serve:

1. Add the steamed eggplant to the bowl and mix well by hand or with the wooden spoon.
2. Sprinkle with the crushed sesame seeds and serve with rice.

Enjoy !