• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to footer navigation
  • Skip to footer-bottom navigation
  • Skip to privacy navigation
  • Skip to recipes navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Kimchimari

Authentic Korean recipes even YOU can cook!

Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
POPULAR: our 10 takeout favorites
Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube

Authentic Korean Recipes Anyone Can Cook

  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Recipes
    • Recipe Index
    • Recipes by Alphabet
    • Latest on the Blog
  • Ingredients
    • Korean Ingredient Glossary
    • Pantry Essentials
    • Pantry – Beyond Essentials
    • Korean Ingredients in Depth
  • How To
    • Cooking Basics + Tips
    • Buy + Use
    • Meal Plan
    • Make from scratch
    • Korean Veg Garden
  • Travel
  • Videos
    • Video Recipes
    • Web Stories
  • About
    • About Me
    • Press Interviews and Mentions
  • New to Korean cooking? Start Here
  • Shop
  • Free Korean BBQ Cookbook! TAP HERE to GET IT
  • Facebook Instagram Pinterest Twitter YouTube
Home Vegetables

Steamed Eggplant (Gaji Namul) Side Dish

gf vg lc ls
Posted:10/16/20147 Comments
Recipe Print
Steamed Eggplant Side Dish (Gaji Namul)

Steamed Eggplant (Gaji Namul) is made by tossing the steamed eggplant in delicious Korean soy sauce seasoning. It is healthy and simple to make.

Steamed Eggplant Side Dish (Gaji Namul)
Steamed Eggplant Side Dish (Gaji Namul)

Steamed Eggplant or Gaji Namul is not a dish when I liked when I was a kid. It’s because I was very sensitive to the texture of foods when I was little. Anything that’s too mushy or too chewy, too gummy or too gooey – my stomach could not take it. And most often than not, eggplants were cooked too long and it was just too mushy for my taste.

I have gotten much less picky about texture as I got older but I am still not a big fan of hwe(회)/raw fish/sashimi mostly because of its texture. I have no problem eating raw things – I love raw abalone because they have a very interesting texture when raw – slightly slippery but soft on the outside and chewy + hard on the inside. But raw fish, I keep chewing and chewing but it has a hard time going down my throat. In fact, it wants to come back out a lot of times.. 😉

However, after coming to Korea, I have learned that if the fish is absolutely fresh, the texture is much more firm and I can stomach it much better. But honestly, I am still not a huge fan of raw fish. 😉

Back to eggplants.. so ever since I visited the wonderful countryside of Italy’s Montepulciano several years ago, my thoughts about eggplant have totally changed. The vacation home we stayed in had its own vegetable garden and I got to cook and taste fresh eggplant picked right from the garden. It was just simply amazing!! Perhaps this is when my dream of combining farming and cooking started. The taste was so amazing that I wanted to share with people how absolutely different tasting a dish could be when fresh, fully ripened ingredients are used.

Now, let’s get started!

Steamed Eggplant (Gaji Namul) Recipe

Servings: 2-3                        Prep Time: 5 min  Cooking time: 10 min                    Difficulty: easy

Ingredients – SEE RECIPE CARD BELOW

Step-by-Step Instructions

  1.  Wash eggplants. Cut off the top part and then lengthwise in half. For quicker steaming, you can cut the eggplants into smaller pieces before they are steamed. It works but it’s just not the same – more flavor will be lost when the pieces are smaller.

    Cutting eggplants in half
    Cutting eggplants in half
  2. Steam eggplants for about 10 min or 5 min after water starts to boil.

    steaming eggplant for namul
    steaming eggplant for namul
  3. Until eggplant is easily pierced with chopstick with no resistance. Do not overcook eggplant and make it mushy – please. 🙂

    checking steamed eggplant to see if it's cooked
    checking steamed eggplant to see if it’s cooked
  4. Make sauce by combining sauce ingredients.

    sauce for eggplant namul
    sauce for eggplant namul – minus green chili peppers
  5. Once eggplants are steamed, cool for few minutes. Cut steamed eggplant halves into 2 or 3 shorter chunks. Tear each eggplant chunk into smaller pieces by hand – just like how mom’s made them for many years.

    tearing steamed eggplant for namul
    tearing steamed eggplant for namul
  6. Toss torn eggplant pieces with the sauce. Use your handy dandy plastic glove if you have one. Again, handle eggplant gently, do not bruise them.
    sauce over steamed torn eggplants
    sauce over steamed torn eggplants

    Add green chili peppers and toss again.

    steamd eggplant tossed in sauce
    steamd eggplant tossed in sauce for Korean eggplant namul (가지나물 Gaji Namul)
  7. And that is all! Serve steamed eggplants or gaji namul at room temperature.
    Eggplant namul (가지나물 Gahji Namul)
    Eggplant namul (가지나물 Gaji Namul)

    This steamed eggplant (gaji namul) is so good that you can even eat it just by itself and some rice. Or it’s great as a side dish to any Korean meal. Enjoy!

    Follow along on social for more Korean recipe inspiration!
    • Pinterest
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    My Newsletter
    Print
    4.67 from 21 votes
    Eggplant namul (가지나물 Gahji Namul)

    Steamed Eggplant Side Dish (Gaji Namul)

    A great side dish to any Korean meal, steamed eggplant is gently tossed with an aromatic sauce. 
    Prep: 5 minutes
    Cook: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes
    serves: 3 servings

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz eggplants (Asian long eggplant works best)

    For Sauce

    • 1 tsp dark soy sauce (Jinkanjang – Kikkomann or Korean sampyo)
    • 1 tsp chopped garlic (maneul)
    • 1 tsp sesame oil (chamkireum)
    • 1 tsp sesame seeds (kkae)
    • 1/4 tsp Korean gook kanjang (optional but adds incredible flavor)
    • 1 tsp chopped green chili peppers (putgochoo)
    • 1/4 tsp sugar (seoltang)
    • 1/4 tsp Sea Salt (Trader Joe's) (Korean cheonilyeom)
    • 1/8-1/4 tsp red chili powder (gochukaroo)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Wash eggplants. Cut off the top part and then lengthwise in half. For quicker steaming, you can cut the eggplants into smaller pieces. It works but it’s just not the same – more flavor will be lost when the pieces are smaller.
    • Steam eggplants for about 10 min or 5 min after water starts to boil. Cook until the eggplant is easily pierced with chopstick with no resistance. Do not overcook as it will turn mushy.
    • Make the sauce by combining the sauce ingredients.
    • Once the eggplant is steamed, allow to cool for a few minutes. Cut eggplant halves into 2 or 3 shorter chunks. Tear each eggplant chunk into smaller pieces by hand.
    • Toss the torn eggplant pieces with the sauce. You may use plastic gloves. Handle the eggplant gently, do not bruise them.
    • Add green chili peppers and toss again.
    • Serve at room temperature. Enjoy on its own or with rice. 

    Nutrition Information:

    Calories: 41kcal (2%)| Carbohydrates: 5g (2%)| Protein: 1g (2%)| Fat: 1g (2%)| Sodium: 283mg (12%)| Potassium: 173mg (5%)| Fiber: 2g (8%)| Sugar: 3g (3%)| Vitamin A: 40IU (1%)| Vitamin C: 2.4mg (3%)| Calcium: 13mg (1%)| Iron: 0.3mg (2%)
    Author: JinJoo Lee
    Course:Side Dish, Vegetables
    Cuisine:Korean
    Keyword:banchan, gluten free, steamed
    KoreanCategory:Namul (나물)
    Did You Make This?I love seeing what you’ve made! Tag me on Instagram at @Kimchimari or #kimchimari and don’t forget to leave a comment & rating below!

Similar Recipes

  • JangJoRim - Beef braised in soy sauce
    JangJoRim (장조림) - Korean beef side dish
  • Korean glazed potato dish finished in pot
    Korean Potato Side Dish - Gamja Jorim (감자조림)
  • Seaweed Stem Side Dish - Miyeok Julgi Bokkeum
    Korean Seaweed Side Dish (Miyeok Julgi Bokkeum) - VG, GF
  • Healthy Zucchini Side Dish - Maleun Hobak Namul ( 마른 호박나물)
    Healthy Zucchini Side Dish-Korean Maleun Hobak Namul (마른 호박나물)
Previous Post
Next Post

Reader Interactions

Leave a Review Cancel reply

I LOVE hearing from you! Submit your question or recipe review here. Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Rate this recipe:




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

7 Comments
  1. Mark Dumont says

    Posted on 18 November 2020 at 1:21 pm

    What is the 1/4 tsp sugar for? Just to add sweetness to the sauce? Could I use something like Stevia instead? This looks great!

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 18 November 2020 at 1:53 pm

      Yes, just to add a hint of sweetness and smooth out the other flavors. It may seem unnecessary but that last little bit of flavor always makes the dish delicious vs just good..You can totally use Stevia instead. Enjoy!

      Reply
  2. annieblinn says

    Posted on 13 February 2016 at 9:22 pm

    I’ve just found your site! I am trying the hotteok this weekend and prob the picked cucumbers. . .and now this. . . I usually cook by just estimating but sometimes it might be best to measure to get the consistent taste. Can’t wait to see how this comes out! Thanks!

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 14 February 2016 at 12:13 am

      Excellent!! Yes, I cook a lot by estimating too but I find it’s great to have recipes when it’s a dish you haven’t cooked in a long time or if you are cooking for a big group which then becomes tricky when you don’t have a recipe. Thank you SO much for your comment and would love to hear how your liked it! I think I am going to cook some eggplant namul soon~~

      Reply
  3. Mittchell says

    Posted on 28 October 2014 at 8:56 am

    I love Korean dishes and I always like to try something new in cooking and eating . This dish looks delicious and tasty I will try it. Thanks for sharing this recipe.

    Reply
    • JinJoo says

      Posted on 29 October 2014 at 5:33 am

      Sure! I love trying new dishes too.Hope you like it! Thank you~

      Reply
  4. dimshum says

    Posted on 16 October 2014 at 4:47 pm

    looks so appetising- this is one of my favourite korean side dishes, alongside with those sticky sweet potato cubes 😛

    Reply

Primary Sidebar

JinJoo from KimchiMari

Welcome

Hi! I'm JinJoo! Thank you for visiting my Korean Food blog where I share detailed Authentic Korean recipes that even YOU can cook!

My Story

browse by type

gf Gluten Free df Dairy Free pc Pressure Cooker Recipes vg Vegan lc low carb <30 30min or less kf Kid-Friendly ls low-salt
  • by Course
    • Drinks
    • Soup+Stew
    • Appetizers
    • Salads
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Desserts and Snacks
  • by Ingredient
    • Beef
    • Chicken
    • Pork
    • Seafood
    • Rice
    • Noodles
    • Tofu
    • Vegetables
    • Egg
    • Paste/Sauces
  • by Korean Basics
    • Eumryo 음료
    • Bap 밥
    • Bokkeum 볶음
    • Gui 구이
    • Guk 국
    • Hangwa 한과
    • Jang 장
    • Jeon 전
    • Jeongol 전골
    • Jjigae 찌게
    • Jjim 찜
    • Jorim 조림
    • Kimchi 김치
    • Myeon 면
    • Namul 나물
    • Tteok 떡
  • by Type
    • Easy Meals
    • 30 Minutes or Less
    • Kid-Friendly
    • Lunchboxes
    • Condiments and Sauces
    • Cooking for One
    • Street food
    • Pressure Cooker Recipes
Free Korean BBQ Favorites ebook
free recipe book!

Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

join now!

Nutritional facts, MSG & gluten free

Nutritional Facts in my recipe cards are provided as an estimate and may not be accurate. Due to different brands of ingredients having different nutritional values, the values I provide here may be different from your preparation.
– MSG & Corn Syrup FREE – these are never used in my recipes
– Gluten Free recipe assumes you are using gluten free soy sauce (since many soy sauces contain gluten or wheat).

Opens in a new window Opens an external site Opens an external site in a new window
baked chicken on parchment paper with onions caramelized

닭고기

Chicken

소고기

Beef

Spicy Pork BBQ - Korean Pork Bulgogi

돼지고기

Pork

Garlic Scape Stir Fry with Shrimp (Maneuljjong Bokkeum 마늘쫑 볶음)

해산물

Seafood

Soondubu Jjigae or Soft Tofu Stew

두부

Tofu

곡식

Rice

READER FAVORITES

Trending Now

Mini Kimbap tray - kimbap two ways

Mini Kimbap (Mayak Kimbap) with Carrot or Cucumber

Chicken Bulgogi Rice

Easy Chicken Bulgogi (Dak Bulgogi) for Korean BBQ

After stew has boiled for 15 min with cheese melted on top

Budae Jjigae (Korean Army Stew)

Korean Sweet Pancake - Hotteok/Hodduck (호떡) www.kimchimari.com

Hotteok (호떡)- Korean Sweet Dessert Pancake

featured on
ny times logo
  • COOK
    • Recipe Index
    • Pantry Items
    • Videos
  • LEARN
    • Starter Guide
    • Korean How To’s
    • Travel
join the kimchimari family
Receive Free Cookbook and New Recipes by Email
join now
  • Back to Top
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled

free recipe ebook!

Join to get my FREE cookbook + monthly newsletters + recipe updates!

Thank you for subscribing!

You will receive an email shortly.

  • 338