3 days ago
Eric Kim's Five-Star Gochujang-Glazed Eggplant
Good morning. If I could wish one thing for you today, and I can, it'd be for a sense of peace to descend upon you, if only for a moment. No fears about the weather, no stress about the news, no feeling that tomorrow will bring pulses of worry and anxiety. There is only summer, only a breeze, only a kiss of sunlight and, if you're lucky, a few flowers and a whistling bird.
I want for you a day of rest and ease, with little to concern you but a trip to the market and dinner to prepare. Embrace that notion. Cook with it. Unless you're working, unless you're on call or patrolling, responsible for infants or the aged, there is no reason to concern yourself today with the future. Tell yourself: Just this once!
For dinner, Eric Kim's recipe for gochujang-glazed eggplant with fried scallions (above), fiery and sweet-salty on its own with rice, or as a banchan to accompany bulgogi or tteokbokki. The scallion oil used to cook the eggplant is exquisitely oniony, a perfect foil for the meaty, caramelized eggplant.
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With maybe some honey cookies with vanilla ice cream for dessert? You could remember this day for months, take comfort in it, repeat its lessons in moments when the black dog barks.
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