Side Dishes

Gyeran-jjim (Steamed Eggs)

Name: Gyeran-jjim (Steamed Eggs)
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 12 min
Total time: 17 min
Yield: 2 servings (1 small earthenware pot)
Cuisine: Korean
Ingredients: eggs 3; Korean leek (daepa) or scallions 1/4 stalk; water 150 ml; saeujeot (salted shrimp) 1/2 tsp; toasted sesame oil a few drops

Pour the eggs into boiling stock and stir, scraping the bottom, until they form soft curds. Cover and cook over low heat until set to the center, then serve right away. Seasoning with saeujeot adds savory depth.

Prep 5 min · Cook 12 min · Total 17 min · 2 servings (1 small earthenware pot) · Easy

한국어로 보기 (Korean version)

Steps

1
Beat the eggs well until the stringy chalazae break up, then strain once. Thinly slice the leek.
Mince the solid shrimp in the saeujeot so no single spot ends up salty.
2
Put the water and saeujeot in an earthenware pot (ttukbaegi) and boil over medium heat for 2 minutes.
3
Reduce to low heat, pour in the eggs, and stir with a spoon for 1 minute, scraping the bottom, until they form soft curds.
If the bottom starts to stick, lower the heat further and keep stirring.
4
Top with the leek, cover with a lid or a bowl larger than the pot, and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat when a chopstick poked into the center comes out without runny egg.
If it puffs up and threatens to boil over, lift the lid briefly to let out the steam, then cover again.
5
Drizzle with a few drops of sesame oil and serve right away in the pot.
The pot stays hot after the heat is off, so set it on a trivet to serve.

Substitutions

Instead of	Use	How
saeujeot	1/4 tsp salt	If you have a shellfish allergy, season with salt instead of salted shrimp.
water	150 ml anchovy-kelp stock	With stock, you can use a little less saeujeot and it will still be seasoned enough.

Storing leftovers

Best eaten right away. Cool any leftovers, refrigerate, and eat within 1 day; reheat in the microwave in 30-second bursts until hot to the center. Steamed eggs separate and weep when frozen, so don't freeze.

Serve with

Next to spicy dishes like kimchi jjigae or jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), it soothes the palate. It's also good spooned over rice and mixed in.

Making more or less

When adding eggs, increase the water in the same ratio (50 ml per egg) and use a pot one size larger.

Before you cook

Cook until a chopstick poked into the center comes out without runny egg.

Questions

How do I make gyeran-jjim fluffy?

Steamed eggs turn holey and tough when the heat is too high. Pour the eggs into boiling stock and stir, scraping the bottom, to form soft curds, then cover and cook over low heat so they puff up tender. Cooked over high heat, they weep water and stick to the bottom.