Long story short : the more-than-half-eaten gyeran jjim featured here was supposed to be an appetizer, which I’d cooked way in advance and nearly consumed before starting on the rest of the meal, but circumstances — the tofu cake that I’d intended on using for the dinner entrée had spoiled in the package — forced me to make a meal of it.
Anyway, the opportunity allowed me to finalize my recipe for the egg dish.
This version is a simple form, comprising only the most basic ingredients, the way that it would be prepared at home. In restaurants, the technique would be even simpler. A “fancier” recipe with additional ingredients will follow (e.g., like adding bits of carrot/scallion). The photos below were taken on a different day.
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RECIPE
Simple Home-Style Gyeran Jjim
(serves 2)
The dish typically involves a traditional clay pot — here, 500 ml capacity — available for cheap at any Korean grocery store, but any small vessel should do (preferably thick-bottomed, like an enameled cast iron sauce pan).
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup water
5 small (4 medium) eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sesame oil
Bring the water to a boil in the pot.Meanwhile, wisk all the other ingredients together.Add the egg mixture to the boiling water, at which point the eggs will instantly begin to curdle, and reduce the heat to low.Immediately begin to stir, constantly scraping the sides of the pot to prevent the eggs from sticking/burning (I use a silicon spatula).After about 3 minutes, the eggs will reach a consistency of being goopy but no longer liquid, about 80% cooked.Cover with a domed lid, cook for an additional 1 minute, turn off the heat, and let it sit for another 1 minute.During the sitting period, the steam will cause the eggs to rise — hence the preference for a domed lid.Unavoidably, some of the egg will stick/burn on the sides of the pot.
I make this in the microwave. quick breakfast, less dishes. Not fancy, but passable and familiar.
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when i make quick breakfast sandwiches (ham+egg+cheese), i beat an egg and microwave it in a shallow dish, resulting in a puffy round flat patty.
but eggs cooked in the microwave taste kinda funny.
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do you cook all your meals on a portable stove?
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yes, i asked them to remove the electric stove, which took way too long to heat up and cool down, and used up way too much electricity.
i also prefer the sight and sound of a live flame, which lets me know exactly how much heat is being applied.
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