Gyeran-jjim

Name: Gyeran-jjim
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 2
Cuisine: Korea
Ingredients: 3 large eggs; 150 ml water or unsalted stock; ¼ tsp salt; 1 spring onion, finely sliced; ½ tsp sesame oil

A soft Korean steamed egg with spring onion.

Korea · Fluffy, Tender · Easy · Researched

Prep: 5 min
Cook: 15 min
Serves: 2

Go to the method

Equipment

Pot with rack and lid · Heatproof 700 ml bowl · Fork · Foil · Oven gloves · Food thermometer

Ingredients

3 large eggs
150 ml water or unsalted stock
¼ tsp salt
1 spring onion, finely sliced
½ tsp sesame oil

Method

Beat the eggs

Mix eggs, water and salt thoroughly with a fork. Stir in half the spring onion.

Look for: No separate white strands remain.

Prepare for steaming

Pour into the heatproof bowl and cover loosely with foil. Set on a rack above simmering water.

Look for: The bowl sits securely above the water.

Steam until set

Cover the pot and steam gently for about 12–15 minutes, until no liquid egg remains and the centre reaches 71°C / 160°F.

Look for: A soft, slightly puffed custard fills the bowl.

Finish

Remove with oven gloves and add sesame oil and the remaining spring onion. Serve warm.

Look for: The custard is moist and spoonable.

Equipment & heat

Use a pot with a rack and a close-fitting lid on any compatible hob. Maintain gentle steam, checking the water does not run dry. Reduce induction power once steam forms; keep gas flames under the pot. On electric, move the pot off the hot ring to stop cooking.

Nonstick: No frying pan needed.

Microwave alternative · 800 W

Use the same mixture in a microwave-safe bowl of at least 1 litre. Cover with a vented microwave-safe lid, never foil. Microwave on medium, about 50% power, for 3 minutes. Stir gently, then continue in 30-second intervals until set throughout. Rest 1 minute and check several places for 71°C / 160°F; cold or liquid patches need another short interval. Higher wattage needs shorter intervals. The texture is less even than a steamer. Use gloves for the hot bowl and open the lid away from your face. Never microwave eggs in their shells.

Troubleshooting

A dense, rubbery edge needs less heat. For a loose centre, steam longer and check the water level.

About this version

This is the bowl-steamed home style. The dramatically puffed earthenware-pot version uses a different direct-heat process.

Unless stated otherwise, use large chicken eggs, approximately 60 g in the shell, refrigerated. Timings are starting points: use the visual checkpoints and any stated temperature check.

Sources

This guide was written from the references below. Egg Atlas has not kitchen-tested it.

Illustrations by Egg Atlas. They show the method; they are not photographs of a tested result.