You've had eggs boiled, fried, poached, and scrambled ... but how about steamed? Silky, savory Asian-style steamed eggs are a real treat at any meal. Different variations exist in China, Japan, and Korea, and today I'll share one method for making Korean-style steamed eggs, called gyeran jjim.
At its most basic, gyeran jjim (literally "steamed eggs") consists of eggs whisked with water and something salty, such as salt, brined shrimp, or fish sauce. Seasonings like green onions and sesame seeds, as well as vegetables and other ingredients, may be added. (Think of this like an omelette, where you have a basic technique and can change fillings and toppings as desired.)
When steamed in a hot water bath, the eggs set into the loveliest custard with the texture of silken tofu. The softness and saltiness are the perfect complements to steamed rice – though I have also been known to eat gyeran jjim straight out of the bowl, with no accompaniments. Give it a try for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.
Korean-Style Steamed Eggs (Gyeran Jjim)
Serves 1-2
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water, plus more for filling pot
1/2 scallion, chopped
1/4 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
Combine the eggs, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a heat-safe ceramic bowl, such as a ramekin or small ddukbaegi. Whisk until well combined and foamy.
Place the bowl in a pot. Fill the pot with hot (not boiling) water to come halfway up the sides of the bowl. Cover the pot, preferably with a clear glass lid so you can easily watch the water and eggs. Cook over low-medium heat for 12 minutes, making sure the water stays at a gentle simmer.
Sprinkle the scallions and sesame seeds on top of the eggs and continue to cook for about 3 minutes or until the eggs are set. They should be firm but jiggly.
Carefully lift the bowl from the pot and serve.
Some variations:
• Add chopped vegetables like red bell peppers, carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, or onions to the egg and water mixture
• Add gochugaru (red pepper) along with the scallions and sesame seeds
• Substitute brined baby shrimp, fish sauce, or soy sauce for salt
• Substitute stock for water
Related: Street Food for Dinner: Thai-Style Omelet (Kai Jeow)
(Image: Emily Ho)
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Comments (33)
I have a Japanese recipe for basically the same thing (they call it chawanmushi), but I've been scared off by technique. I wonder if I could pull this off in the microwave? My fear is that it would quickly go past custard consistency to rubber.
My mother used to do this in the microwave! I'll have to ask how long she nuked them for. They were always delicious, never rubbery.
Woohoo, I love gyeranjim! When I first graduated from college, my mom gave me a special bowl to make it in the microwave. It's a ceramic bowl with a plastic cover that has a vent for the steam to escape. I combine some eggs and water, some salted shrimp (saewootjeot), maybe some pepper, sesame oil. No salt if adding the shrimp (which is salty itself). Whisk it all in the bowl and microwave it for just a few minutes. I forget how long, but you can try with 2 minutes then increase if needed.
I eat it as a sidedish accompanying my rice/meal.
I detest eggs from the microwave, but that's probably due to operator error! I can never seem to keep them from being anything but too runny or an overdone, rubbery mess - certainly not the silky texture of custard!
I wonder if I add sugar, a splash of vanilla and serve over rice for dessert? Experiment time...
@Taliskan.. cool idea... i would use a cream instead of water that experiment!
this reminds me of slow scrambled eggs.. but it looks easier. i'm intrigued!
Where did this obsession with trying to make the steamed egg dish in the microwave come from? I am so confused.
@sygyzy Convenience and dorm rooms, I suspect.
I like the sound of these;
They should be firm but jiggly!!
I'll have to try them.
A subway sandwich bar I used to use would microwave their eggs
I make chawanmushi all the time. I grew up with Chinese-style steamed eggs, both savory and sweet versions, but once I started making chawanmushi it's what I always crave. It's such an upgrade from what I ate as a kid. The texture of chawanmushi is so silky and it's such an elegant dish that I never hesitate to serve it to guests. And I always steam, never microwave.
@cmcinnyc -- Don't be scared! What's the worst that can happen? You have to start over? It doesn't take long to mix up the ingredients. If you're worried, just keep the water at a bare simmer. And you can check on the chawanmushi to see if it is set yet. If not, keep steaming. You can test it by gently blowing on the top of one to see if it is still liquid or not. It'll jiggle instead of slosh. Or you can stick a knife into it near the center.
I make mine in the microwave. I usually cook for 2-3 minutes depending how much I'm making, but the best way because every microwave is different is put it in for minute or so and shake the bowl and if it jiggles like jello, it's ready.
Well, a method for cooking eggs that is totally new to me. Looks intriguing and fairly straight forward to make. I shall try it - definitelly NOT in the microwave!
I'm curious what makes this particular steamed egg "Korean"? The sesame seed? It's certainly not the dried shrimp, fish sauce (which Koreans don't use), scallions.
Also, any ceramic/pyrex bowl can be used. Doesn't need to be a ramekin (or Korean). Soup bowl, rice bowl, ad nausea.
Finally, the quickest way to make steamed egg is in.. .of course, rice cooker.
@sinosoul Do you mean as opposed to Chinese or Japanese? I call this recipe Korean because this is the particular method and combination of ingredients I've learned from Koreans ... but it's true that the dish is not exclusively Korean since it originated in China. (Many Koreans do use fish sauce, though!)
My Chinese-Vietnamese family makes steamed egg in a rice cooker but it doesn't get as perfectly custardy as this method. Any tips?
There are so many ways to cook the egg, I prefer fried egg, that smell great in my mind and the add my appetite. As to the steamed egg, I have no ideas which tool used for steaming that will result better, ceramic or silicone one.I will try it one day
Tried this for brunch today -- didn't have sesame or scallions so I used some furikake on top and it was wonderful!
@Sinosoul How would you make it in a rice cooker?
Oh my God! I just made this for dinner and you have know idea how floored I was by this. It's one of the simplest and most delicious meals I've ever made!
Mmm, my mom usually just sticks in the microwave with a cover on the bowl for around a minute....she usually makes it with green onions, eggs, salt, pepper and water.
I've had this all my life "Chinese" style, and we're still perfecting the texture. We usually add spring onion and a little salt, some cooked mince if we're feeling special. I've been told the trick is to have the water, as described, hot (around 40 degrees C) at the beginning, and to absolutely not open the the lid until it's done (I've been scolded a few times for trying to open it beforehand). My aunt also likes to put a wet tea towel on the lid to prevent further steam escaping.
When I was growing up, my mom or grandmother would make very simple steamed eggs in a rice bowl and place it on top of the rice in our rice cooker, killing two birds w/one stone. The eggs would be steamed in the time it took to cook the rice. Just some soy sauce on top of the eggs, and that was it. I like the idea of adding in other ingredients to make it more complex, though, too. Thanks for reminding me of the wonderful simplicity of this childhood food memory!
Emily, I love your posts! This looks delicious, I'll have to give it a try this week. I've been looking for new ways to have eggs and that sounds like a nice alternative to scrambled eggs.
I make this all the time. But I'll add copious amounts of chicken broth and steam so I don't worry about it being rubbery and plus it makes for a nice soup!
Also- to sweeten it, add some sugar and coconut milk and voila you have the Thai custard that goes with coconut sticky rice!
It's one of my favorite dishes!
If you want it even more silker, let the raw eggs go through sieve once before you cook it. Using dash(stock) definitely makes it more tasty. =)
I've been making this on my own since I was in 4th grade!! It's much easier if you actually own a rice cooker. I had tried it w/ ground pork and mushrooms and green onions. So good!!
My mother made this while I was growing up. Scrambled eggs and ground pork I remember, but I can't recall any other ingredients.
I'm sure adding fried garlic, furikake, or nori flakes would be delicious toppings. For those who need a sauce: oyster sauce, srirachi, sweet thai chili sauce? (Remember that less is more.) So many variations on this dish.
Great dish to try at least once.
My dad makes the best Chinese version of this dish!! It has the most perfect silky texture and super tasty savoriness. Sometimes he mixes in thousand year old eggs (which I love but recognize is not to everyone's taste) to be fancy but often, it's just some ginger slivers, scallion and soy sauce.
I wish I had some right now. Note to self, call dad for recipe
the (i will have to say original) chinese version of this is called something like cha wan zheng, means steam in a tea cup. Instead of sesame seed, my parents used sesame oil, with a splash of soil sauce then scallion and all that.
I have to say that the ones with thousand year old eggs mixed in are delicious!
My mom makes a chinese steamed egg dish (via microwave); the egg goes on top of (precooked? not sure) seasoned ground meat and chopped scallions, iirc. Pretty tasty. :9
I just tried this taking a more french approach -- milk instead of water with the eggs, and fresh goat cheese at the bottom of the ramekin, with cracked pepper on top, served with buttered toast. So delicious! Will definitely try the chinese version soon.
To the post that said that Koreans do not use dried shrimp or fish sauce, I beg to differ and I'm pretty sure my Halmoni would have a word or two about that as well. There are many soups I recall that a fish sauce was used and little dried shrimp can be found in so many dishes from my childhood.
This is delicious! We made it today with bacon bits and feta cheese. Just perfect!
I made this for dinner last night - absolutely awesome. I added garlic chives and sesame salt and served it over plain white rice with tamari and sriracha. This meal will be a heavy player in my weeknight dinner rotation.