Bulgogi Eggplant

By Eric Kim

Total Time: 40 minutes
Rating: 4(954)
Notes: Read community notes

Few things gain as much bulmat (“fire taste” in Korean) as eggplant. When thinly sliced like bulgogi, the classic Korean dish of grilled marinated meat, eggplants need only a brief flick of the fire — a minute or two per side — to cook through and char at the edges. (A very hot skillet on the stovetop works in a pinch.) Bulgogi means “fire meat,” so this vegetarian adaptation is inspired by the flavors of the beloved Korean barbecue staple — soy sauce, garlic and sugar — and would taste wonderful alongside a handsome plate of char-grilled beef bulgogi.

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Featured in: Bulgogi, Any Way You Slice It

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

1pound Asian eggplant, especially Korean (2 to 3 large), cut in half crosswise, then lengthwise into ¼-inch-thick slices
½teaspoon kosher salt (Diamond Crystal)
Neutral oil, such as vegetable or canola, for grilling
1tablespoon soy sauce
1tablespoon maple syrup
1tablespoon granulated sugar
¼teaspoon garlic powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1scallion, thinly sliced on the bias, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

Step 1
Place the eggplant in a colander set inside the sink. Sprinkle with the salt, toss to combine and let sit for 30 minutes to drain its excess moisture.
Step 2
While the eggplant drains, prepare a charcoal grill for direct high-heat cooking, or heat a gas grill to high. In a medium bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, maple syrup, sugar and garlic powder until the sugar is dissolved.
Step 3
Carefully grease the grill grate: Use tongs to grip a wadded paper towel dipped in oil and then rub the grates with the oiled towel. In the colander, toss the drained eggplant with 1 tablespoon oil. Place the eggplant on the hot, greased grate. Grill until charred at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes per side. If using a gas grill, close the lid between flips. (See Tip for stovetop method.)
Step 4
Add the grilled eggplant to the bowl with the sauce and gently toss, making sure each slice is thinly coated. Arrange the slices with the sauce on a large platter. Crack over some black pepper and garnish with the scallion.

Tip

Alternatively, you can cook the eggplant on the stovetop in batches. Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high. Add enough oil to lightly coat the bottom of the pan, and heat until shimmering. Add the eggplant to the pan. Sear until charred and caramelized at the edges, 1 to 2 minutes per side.

Ratings

4 out of 5

954 user ratings

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Cooking Notes

Patti3 years ago

The local grocery store was out of eggplant, so I used zucchini instead and it was still delicious!

Eric3 years ago

Made this for dinner tonight. Delicious! Maybe next time I would reduce the sugar a bit, but that's just my taste.

Lindsey Reiser2 years ago

It’s even better if you cross hatch it with a knife before salting. More water gets released. From Thomas keller

Pam3 years ago

This was easy and delicious. I especially like how simple the sauce was to throw together. I did add a little bit of red chili flakes to give it a tiny bit of zing. I boiled some bok choy and put some of the sauce on that too. Light and flavorful!!

Alice2 years ago

If doing stovetop: pour the sauce into the pan once you get some nice color on the eggplant and let it cook down and thicken. Flavor comes out much better.

JuanZ2 years ago

This was fantastic! The sauce seemed too simple at first and I was tempted to add to it, but I restrained myself and made it as written, and was so happy I did. As I continue to learn over and over, simple is best in a lot of cooking. Ate with white rice cooked in coconut milk and “Cold Tofu salad with tomatoes and peaches” (also from NYT cooking) for a wonderful summer dinner.

Eric W3 years ago

The sauce is quite inspired and I can see using it on all sorts of grilled veggies. I served it alongside grilled chicken thighs marinated in a gochujong sauce. You’ll need to experiment with your grill, eggplant maturity and slice thickness to figure out how long to cook them to your taste.

Marianne Ireland3 years ago

I did this on the George Foreman, turned out great

Ashley2 years ago

I charred the eggplant in an oiled cast iron pan (don’t have a grill) and it worked great! I didn’t have maple syrup so I used about 0.5tbsp of molasses instead and I added ginger powder. Was great!

simon2 years ago

Delicious. I doubled the proportions. Used regular eggplants. It is a winner!

katie3 years ago

Just had a big eggplant but it still worked. Easy and tasty. Will make again.

RMS2 years ago

Just harvesting my Japanese eggplant - now I know what to do with it!

Sasha2 years ago

So good and easy, will definitely make again! I made this with eggplant as well as firm tofu. Skipped the sugar in the sauce and used fresh crushed garlic because I didn't have garlic powder. Pressed and marinated the tofu in the sauce before cooking, followed the recipe and added eggplant to sauce after cooking. Cooked on a griddle on the stove because we don't have a grill.

J Young2 years ago

Step 4 says: Add the grilled eggplant to the bowl with the sauce and gently toss, making sure each slice is thinly coated. I think the sauce is meant to be a no-cook glaze. Just follow the recipe man.

Es2 years ago

Wonderful side dish. Really tasted like bulgogi (based on my limited exposure to Korean food at Seoulville Restaurant in Somerville NJ). Used a half dozen fairy-tale eggplants, salted and then rinsed and dried prior to oiling). For sauce I used Birch syrup (souvenir from Vancouver and similar to maple) and omitted the sugar as so many of you suggested. Delicious. Will do this as long as eggplant is in season.

Brenda1 month ago

Delicious but a bit oily. I think I will try it by first cutting the eggplant a bit thinner, spraying the eggplant with olive oil and cooking in the air fryer rather than pan frying it. I will follow the rest of the recipe as written.

Hill1 month ago

How much eggplant by weight worked for others?

Dana Dee9 months ago

This was excellent and fairly easy. I added cilantro to the scallions and substituted Mike's Hot Honey for the sugar.

Sona10 months ago

I cooked this over stovetop as I don’t have a grill and sliced the eggplants really thin. As someone earlier had suggested ,I cooked the eggplants until slightly charred ,then poured the sauce over this ,allowing it to thicken . Serve with scallions over brown rice - delish !!

jrlw10 months ago

Also add some garam masala

Marti_dc1 year ago

Also great with air-fryer nekkid eggplant. I tossed with some veg oil and in they went. When they were done, I did the same to some butternut squash "sticks" and then drizzled the bulgogi sauce over them. There are brussels sprouts in the frying pan, but... nah, I'm sticking with the bacon, balsamic and a little maple syrup for those. Super easy and tasty sauce, NYTimes! Thanks!

hatertot1 year ago

I made as per the recipe and it did turn out a little sweet. Next time I think I'll try subbing the maple syrup with a mix of rice syrup and maesil syrup which hopefully will help cut the sweetness while maintaining the glaze-like consistency. Love the eggplant texture, I made it with some beef bulgogi and they were equally tantalizing.

Carol1 year ago

I picked up some Asian eggplant at the HMart the other day and thought, "what should I do with this"? I love beef bulgogi but don't eat much meat, so this was great.

Anne1 year ago

I roasted the eggplant without oil for about 20 minutes at 400F. We did not miss the oil at all. Did not want to fry the scallions, so just garnished with chopped scallions. This was excellent.

Laura Di Battista, Toronto1 year ago

It's January in Canada, so I did not want to fire up the BBQ. I cooked the eggplant in two cast iron pans and it came out great! I loved the simplicity of this recipe. It was just delicious. I served it with air fried chicken thighs and it was a hit. Will be making this over and over again.

es1 year ago

Cheated. Used a prepared bulgogi sauce (it was open and in the refrigerator. Cut small eggplants in half, salted them, dried them well, grilled, and spooned the sauce over them. Very nice.

The Olson Fam1 year ago

Agreed with other commentary. No sugar necessary at all.

bob ellis1 year ago

Well, it has been a year since anyone else posted a comment. I added some asparagus to this recipe. And because I cooked the eggplant in a pot, I deglazed the pot with a little red wine, and then tossed the 'sauce' into the red wine, swirled it around a little, and then tossed the asparagus and eggplant with the result. And then I added one ghost pepper. Deletable!

Dungenessa1 year ago

Excellent and easy. Added shishito peppers to the mix.

msjvd1 year ago

The process of this produced the best, fastest eggplant results I have ever had. I grew up with fried eggplant... dipped in crumbs and fried crispy. If I could, I might add tomato gravy, cheese and pasta, but most often, it was alone. And always so difficult it seemed to get it cooked to "tender." This was EASY, BABY!!! And I could move it from the grill to soak up some red sauce and eat with pasta... or toss it in the bulgogi! This cooking technique is WONDERFUL and VERSATILE!

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