Flavorful Steamed Rice with Eggplant & Savory Seasoning Sauce (Baek Jong Won Style)
Flavorful Steamed Rice with Eggplant & Savory Seasoning Sauce (Baek Jong Won Style)
Making Steamed Rice with Eggplant and a Special Seasoning Sauce
I tried making the eggplant rice from the Korean show ‘Home Food Rescue’ (Baek Jong Won’s recipe)! I was curious about the taste, and surprisingly, it tasted like it had meat even without any! The texture of the eggplant was also incredibly pleasant. I’ll definitely be making this again. It’s a simple yet incredibly satisfying dish!
For the Eggplant Rice- 320g short-grain rice
- 300g filtered water
- 40g cooking oil
- 50g green onion (white part mainly)
- 30g soy sauce
- 800g eggplant
For the Seasoning Sauce- 40g chives
- 20g green onion (white part mainly)
- 20g Korean chili pepper (Cheongyang chili pepper, adjust to spice preference)
- 20g minced garlic
- 120ml soy sauce
- 6g brown sugar
- 16g coarse gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 12g sesame seeds (whole or crushed)
- 7g sesame oil
- 40g chives
- 20g green onion (white part mainly)
- 20g Korean chili pepper (Cheongyang chili pepper, adjust to spice preference)
- 20g minced garlic
- 120ml soy sauce
- 6g brown sugar
- 16g coarse gochugaru (Korean chili powder)
- 12g sesame seeds (whole or crushed)
- 7g sesame oil
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
First, wash the rice thoroughly 2-3 times and let it soak in water for about 15 minutes. Soaking the rice will save you time while you prepare the other ingredients.
Step 2
Wash the eggplants (800g), then cut them in half lengthwise. Slice them into half-moon shapes about 0.5cm thick. Try to keep the slices relatively consistent in thickness; if they’re too thin, they might break apart during cooking.
Step 3
Finely chop the green onion (50g). Using mainly the white parts will give a stronger, more fragrant onion flavor.
Step 4
In a heated pan, add the chopped green onion and cooking oil (40g). Stir-fry over medium-low heat until the green onion becomes slightly browned and fragrant, and its moisture has evaporated, creating a delicious green onion-infused oil. This step is crucial for developing the rich flavor of the eggplant rice.
Step 5
Once the green onion oil is fragrant, pour the soy sauce (30g) around the edge of the pan. This helps to caramelize the soy sauce slightly, adding depth of flavor. Be careful not to burn it. Add the sliced eggplant and stir-fry, gently tossing with a spatula until the eggplant softens and wilts, absorbing the flavors. It should become translucent.
Step 6
Now, place the soaked rice in your electric pressure cooker. Add water (300g), using slightly less than your usual amount since the eggplant will release moisture. Arrange the sautéed eggplant evenly over the rice. Press the ‘Cook’ or ‘Rice’ button to start cooking the rice. You can use the regular white rice setting or a multi-grain setting.
Step 7
For the seasoning sauce, halve the green onion (20g) and Korean chili pepper (20g), remove the seeds if desired, and finely chop them. Wash the chives (40g) and also finely chop them. If you prefer a spicier taste, you can increase the amount of Korean chili pepper.
Step 8
In a bowl, combine the chopped green onion, chives, Korean chili pepper, minced garlic (20g), soy sauce (120ml), brown sugar (6g), coarse gochugaru (16g), sesame seeds (12g), and sesame oil (7g). Mix everything well to create the savory and slightly sweet seasoning sauce. This sauce is perfect for mixing with the eggplant rice!
