Vegan Korean Aubergine & Sesame Spinach Recipe
Our vegan Korean aubergine with sesame spinach makes a tasty vegan meal with delightful Asian flavours.
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Our Korean vegan dinner recipe uses gochugaru, a coarse ground Korean chilli powder that looks like crushed red pepper flakes. The difference is that the Korean chillies are sun-dried without the seeds.
The powder is a distinctive bright red colour and a staple in a Korean kitchen because they add wonderful colour and heat to dishes, and pair particularly well with aubergine.
You can buy the Korean red pepper flakes or gochugaru from the Korean section of an oriental supermarket.
If you can’t find gochugaru, you can substitute it with chipotle powder, red pepper chilli powder or cayenne pepper flakes.
The jasmine rice and spinach are the perfect accompaniment against the savoury sauce of our Korean vegan aubergine recipe.
Our vegan Korean aubergine recipe is quick and easy to make and suitable for a fuss-free weekday vegan dinner as it’s ready to eat in under 30 minutes. Add it to your favourite vegan recipe ideas today!
Total Time: 25 mins
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Servings: 4
Rating:
Total Time: 25 mins
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
(Servings: 4)
- 75 75 grams jasmine rice, rinsed
- 0.25 0.25 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 0.5 0.5 aubergines, cut into 1cm half moons
- 0.75 0.75 Tbsp sesame oil
- 0.5 0.5 Tbsp soy sauce
- 0.75 0.75 cloves garlic, grated
- 0.75 0.75 tsp gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
- 0.5 0.5 Tbsp sesame seeds
- 1 1 pring onions, finely chopped
- 75 75 grams baby leaf spinach
- Sea salt
Method
- Bring a large pan of water to the boil, and add the jasmine rice. Return to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 12-13 minutes until just cooked. Drain the rice, then return to the pan and leave to steam, covered, for 5 minutes.
- Arrange the aubergine slices in a steamer basket, and set it above a pan of boiling water. Cover and steam for 7 minutes, until the aubergine is just soft when prodded with a fork. (Note: 7 minutes doesn’t seem like very long, but even 10 minutes is enough to make the aubergine mushy – steaming seems to be very effective at cooking aubergine quickly)
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk 2 tablespoons of the sesame oil, the soy sauce and two thirds of the grated garlic with the gochugaru, sesame seeds and half the spring onions. Add the steamed aubergine, then gently stir to coat in the dressing.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of sesame oil in a large saucepan along with the remaining garlic. Once the garlic starts to sizzle, add the spinach, and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until just wilted. Season with the sea salt to taste.
- Stir the vinegar through the rice, and serve alongside the steamed aubergine and spinach.
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