Colm O'Gorman's Korean stir-fried aubergine - a great vegetarian or vegan main course

Banchan Gaji Bokkeum, or stir-fried aubergine, is made by cooking large pieces of aubergine over a high heat in a sweet, savoury, spicy sauce. The aubergine is seared in sesame oil, before roughly chopped green chillies are added and the vegetables finished in a sauce made with gochujang (Korean chilli paste), rice wine, sugar, soy sauce and garlic.

Banchan Gaji Bokkeum, or stir-fried aubergine

Regular readers will by now be familiar with my love of Korean food. I first started to learn about it and to cook it during the covid lockdowns, and it is one of my favourite cuisines. Happily, it has become increasingly popular in recent years, and more Korean restaurants are opening across the country.

I was travelling for work recently and had dinner at a fabulous Korean barbecue restaurant. Korean barbecue is wonderful: It consists of lots of marinaded or select cuts of meat, usually beef, chicken, and pork, which is cooked by diners on a charcoal or gas grill in the centre of the table.