In Korea, a steamed egg custard dish called gyeran jjim is served frequently as an accompaniment to stews, noodles and grilled meat. I love gyeran jjim. It is savory like an omelet but has a soft and silky texture like custard.

Koreans don’t consider gyeran jjim a meal in and of itself. However, there is a more substantial dish called gyeran jjigae. It’s basically gyeran jjim plus mushrooms and beef or seafood.

The two recipes I’m sharing here are for gyeran jjigae — one type made with beef, the other with shrimp. When paired with rice I think they are substantial enough to make a light, delicious meal.

Gyeran jjigae (Steamed Egg Custard) — 계란찌개

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

  • ½ large carrot stick, cut into matchsticks
  • 4 dehydrated mushrooms, softened and sliced*
  • 2 oz. beef, chopped (such as flank steak or beef brisket)
  • 2 tsp. soy sauce**
  • 1 tsp. sesame oil
  • 1 c. water
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • 1 green onion, chopped (or 3 scallion stalks)
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ tsp. black pepper

*You can buy these mushrooms in Asian grocery stores. They are sold dehydrated in bags. (See photos above.) To rehydrate them, soak them in hot water 15-20 minutes. If mushrooms are still not soft after soaking, simmer them for 10 more minutes.

**To make this recipe gluten-free, I used San-J Organic Tamari Gluten-Free Soy Sauce (available at Whole Foods or for $6.69 + shipping on Amazon.com.)

Steps

  • Bring water to boil in small pot. (NOTE: This is not the 1 cup of water cited above in the ingredients list. That water gets used later.) Parboil carrot strips in pot by dropping them into the boiling water and removing them when they start to soften. Drain the cooked carrots.
  • In separate pan, stir-fry chopped beef in soy sauce and sesame oil. Remove pan from heat once beef loses its pinkness.
  • Mix rest of ingredients (water, eggs, scallions, salt and pepper) in a Pyrex or other type of ovenproof bowl. Add carrots and beef to bowl. Stir ingredients to distribute evenly.
  • Place bowl of custard ingredients on rack in a steamer. Cover and steam until custard is firmly set.
  • If you don’t own a steamer — or your steamer isn’t deep enough to accommodate your bowl — fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Place bowl of custard ingredients inside the pot, nestled in the water, and cover with pot lid. Reduce heat to medium and steam the custard, covered, until the ingredients set.
  • Serve the gyeran jjigae Korean-style by placing the bowl on the table and letting people dip their spoons into it.

Gyeran-jjim2-500

Steamed Egg Custard With Seafood

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

  • 6 large eggs, beaten
  • 3 c. chicken broth
  • 1½ tsp. salt
  • 1 Tbsp. soy sauce**
  • 2 Tbsp. Mirin (Japanese cooking wine) or sherry***
  • 6 small shrimp or prawns, fresh or cooked OR 1 can of shrimp (4 oz.)****
  • 4 black Chinese mushrooms, softened and sliced*

***You can find Mirin at Asian grocery stores or online at Amazon.com for about $8.

****The original recipe called for 6 small shrimp or prawns, fresh or cooked, but that seemed odd to me — only 1 shrimp for each person? — so I used a greater number of smaller shrimp.

Steps

  • Mix all ingredients in a large, ovenproof bowl.
  • Place bowl of custard ingredients on rack in a steamer. Cover and steam until custard is firmly set.
  • If you don’t own a steamer — or your steamer isn’t deep enough to accommodate your bowl — fill a large pot with about 1 inch of water and bring to a boil. Place the bowl of custard ingredients inside the pot, nestled in the water, and cover with pot lid. Reduce heat to medium and steam the custard, covered, until the ingredients set.
  • Serve the gyeran jjigae Korean-style by placing the bowl on the table and letting people dip their spoons into it.

[Recipes from “Korean Cooking”, an out-of-print cookbook created by the Korean Institute of Minnesota.]