This recipe is one of our favorites from Maangchi's Big Book of Korean Cooking, our December 2019 pick for BA’s Cookbook Club. We like to think of this sweet and salty dish as a sort of vegetarian bulgogi. Marinating and pan-frying eggplant keeps it firm, flavorful, and chewy—almost meaty. The marinade glazes it as it cooks, so it glistens. Prepared this way, the eggplant looks very special, even though the recipe is easy. It’s a versatile dish that makes a great side for rice and many other preparations. The eggplant tastes wonderful right off the stove, but it’s even better after a few hours, when all the flavors have had time to mingle and deepen. Seek out Korean eggplants, if possible, which are sold in Korean markets. They are thinner than ordinary eggplants and the skin is more tender. But regular eggplants work, too.
