Korean · side

Gaji Namul (Steamed Eggplant Banchan)

Gaji Namul (Steamed Eggplant Banchan) reads salinity 6.7, umami 6.4 and funk & ferment 6.3 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Korean side, about 29 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

The measured notes (of 18)

Salinity 6.7 · Umami 6.4 · Funk & Ferment 6.3 · Marine & Briny 5.0 · Allium 4.5 · Nutty 4.4 · Richness 3.2 · Herbaceous 2.3 · Heat 2.0 · Warm Spice 1.4 · Earthy 0.9 · Smoke 0.8 · Sweetness 0.8 · Sourness 0.6

What's in it (10)

Time & effort: about 29 min (19 min active) · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 15.8 kcal, 0.2 g protein, 1.5 g fat, 0.5 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (6 steps)

  1. Set the eggplant pieces cut-side up in a steamer over the boiling water and steam 8 to 10 minutes, until the flesh is translucent and a chopstick goes through with no resistance. Do not go past this: overcooked eggplant collapses to slurry, and the point of gaji namul is the strands.
  2. Spread the pieces out on a tray and let them cool for 10 minutes. Steaming rather than frying is what makes this a namul: the eggplant takes on no oil, so it tastes clean and cool, and it is a summer dish for exactly that reason.
  3. When cool enough to handle, tear each piece lengthwise into strips with your fingers, following the grain of the flesh. A knife smears eggplant; torn strips keep their shape and hold the dressing in their ragged edges.
  4. Mix the guk-ganjang, anchovy sauce, gochugaru, garlic and salt, then toss the eggplant through it gently with your fingertips. Guk-ganjang is a saltier, thinner, lighter-coloured soy brewed as a by-product of doenjang, and it is what gives namul their particular savour; regular soy sauce works but tastes rounder and sweeter.
  5. Finish with the sesame oil, scallions and crushed sesame seeds and serve at room temperature. It keeps 2 days refrigerated but is best the day it is made.
  6. Substitutions: Japanese eggplants can stand in for the Korean eggplants; 1 tbsp regular soy sauce can stand in for the guk-ganjang.

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Keep reading: what salinity, umami, funk & ferment mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.