Gyeranjjim (계란찜) is a Korean savory egg custard dish. Gyeran means eggs, and jjim refers to a steamed dish. Eggs are also called dalgyal (달걀) in Korean, so this dish is also called dalgyaljjim (달걀찜). It’s a popular side dish for breakfast, lunch, and dinner both at home and in restaurants. Gyeranjjim is so quick and easy to make that I often add it to a meal at the last minute.
You can make it simply with eggs and scallions, but other chopped vegetables such as carrot, onion, and/or zucchini are great additions as well. Growing up, we often had it with salted pollack roe, myungranjeot (명란젓).
In order to thin the eggs and enhance the flavor, I usually use anchovy broth. You can certainly use water or any other broth such as dashima broth or vegetable broth. For a silky, custard-like texture, I use 1/4 cup liquid for each egg. Adjust to your taste.
For the seasoning, salted shrimp (saeujeot, 새우젓) is the best with eggs. Saeujeot adds a unique savory flavor to the eggs. Fish sauce will be excellent as well, or simply season with salt.
How to steam the eggs
Gyeranjjim is usually cooked and served in a small earthenware (ttukbaegi, 뚝배기) at Korean restaurants. I also like to cook it in my earthenware directly on the stovetop. But, you can use a ramekin or a heatproof bowl and place it in a boiling water bath in a pot to steam. It’s also easy to cook in the microwave.
Watch How I make it
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Ingredients
- 4 - 5 large eggs
- 1 cup anchovy broth (or water or dashima broth) adjust to taste
- 1.5 teaspoons salted shrimp (saeujeot) or 3/4 teaspoon salt (or fish sauce)
- 2 tablespoons chopped scallion
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil, divided - optional
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds - optional
Instructions
- Beat the eggs with a spoon.
- Run the mixture through a sieve to break it down into a smooth liquid consistency. (If you skip this process, make sure to beat the eggs until very smooth.) Mix the beaten eggs well with the anchovy broth or water and salted shrimp (saeujeot), salt, or fish sauce.
- Lightly oil your pot or bowl with 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil or cooking oil. If using an earthenware, start heating it while preparing the egg mixture.
Use one of the following cooking methods depending on the cookware used:
Earthenware/ceramic pot (stove-top proof):
- Add the egg mixture to the pot. Cover, and simmer. When the eggs start to set at the bottom, stir, and reduce the heat to medium low or low (if your stove is high strength). Cover, and continue to simmer for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring a couple of times, gently stirring the eggs in a circling motion with a spoon.
- Check the eggs, and cook longer if needed. You can add the scallion with a couple of minutes left or after the egg is done. Drizzle the optional sesame oil (about 1/2 teaspoon) and/or sesame seeds.
Stock pot:
- Bring water to a boil in a medium-sized pot. The water should come halfway up the sides of the ramekin/bowl. (Adding a folded paper towel at the bottom will prevent the ramekin/bowl from rattling while the water is boiling.)
- Carefully place the ramekin/bowl in the pot. Cover the pot and steam for 8 minutes over medium low heat. Make sure the water boils gently.
- Gently stir the eggs with a spoon. Add the scallions, cover, and steam for an additional 4 minutes or until the mixture is set.
Microwave
- Place the bowl with the egg mixture in the microwave. Don't need to cover it. Cook for 2 minutes, and stir. Cook for another 2 minutes, and stir. Check to see if the egg is still runny in the middle, and cook for another minute or until the egg is set in the middle.
Anonymous says
Two ways – nice!
Michelle says
Made it vegetarian as I omit any dead animal product and tasted delicious!
Lovely jiggly, stomach filling smooth eggs! (I could only eat half of the 4 eggs and happily shared)
I have vegan Dashi (mushroom seaweed based) for the cup of “water”, I used Celtic salt finely grinded, with a small (quarter teaspoon) dash of vegan ‘oyster’ sauce into the egg mix for some umami plus as shown most of the spring onions that I have freshly in the garden (most forgiving thing to easily grow ever. You can put even the store bought ones into a glass of water and just cut the green bits, it will keep on growing).
I toasted white and black (for looks) sesame seeds for more flavour and food safety (I don’t like stuff out of a package that I cannot wash or cook) while eggs cooked.
Straining the eggs through a sieve seems to be a real good hint.
I usually jump straight the recipe.
This time I did watch the clip beforehand and I think that gave me some handling confidence (eg seeing size of dishes used, seeing that junks form, stir it gently, cover again and when it is set, it has no junks despite the checking and gently stir)
I loved the “cloth” trick on the water pot bottom. Worked a treat.
Simmering very important, no strong boil.
The result was as clip showed.
One heck of a jiggly umami tasting egg.
Don’t get me wrong, I love the pure butter pan fried scrambled eggs, too.
But sometimes like a little Asian touch for a difference and it was soooo yum.
Lisa says
Mine is turning out chunky like scrambled eggs and the bottom of the stone bowl is thick and brown. Ah! What am I doing wrong? The flame is as low as it’ll go.
D says
Maybe raise the bowl in the pot by putting another smaller bowl under it so when it is warmed it’s not resting against the heat of the pot, but rather cooked by the steam in the covered pot.
Michelle says
Maybe too little water/broth ratio?
(4 eggs strained!, 1 cup liquid, stir through)
I have just made it first time vegetarian version, pot water method with only a cloth at the bottom, medium slow bubble boiling. Lid.
Worked perfectly.
But I thought upon checking and gently stirring at 8 and 11 minutes, that it would never set. And bam, 2 min later it was set. Took it straight out and such jiggly filling yummieness.
Try again! It will work.
Julie says
Absolutely delicious.
My boyfriend took me home to Korea to meet his family this past August. When we were there we absolutely loved eating Gyeran-jjim at restaurants.
Made this recipe for him this morning and he absolutely loved it, tastes exactly like it did in Seoul. Great recipe, thank you!!
Meg says
This was delicious! We used chicken broth and fish sauce in the eggs, then topped it with furikake and sriracha, sesame oil and scallions. So good!!
LadyBelle says
I didn’t realize how easy making steamed eggs really was. I didn’t have dashi or anchovy broth, so I cheated and used instant tofu miso soup. For cooking it I just used a ramekin and a small sauce pot with lid. The instructions mentioned you could put a paper towel or cloth down to prevent the ramekin bouncing around, but I kind of found the sounds it made while boiling were comforting. This would make the prefect winter breakfast to warm you from the inside out. The only issue I had was realizing I didn’t really have a good tool to remove the ramekin out of the water when done. Silicone tongs are not up to the task and I’ll have to get something better for safety reasons.
Mindy says
Can you please explain how to add 명란젓 (roe) to the eggs? Whole, sliced, or taken out of the sack and mixed in? With the seo woo jut or instead of? I would love to try it! Thank you!
Hyosun says
You can roughly chop up or scrape off the roe from the sack with a knife. Mix it into the egg mixture. The latter will give a smoother texture. I wouldn’t use saeujeot with it. Hope this helps. Enjoy!
NiYan says
Hi there, i have a stone pot (dolsot?) and am wondering is possible to make this with that instead of getting an claypot? thanks!
Hyosun says
Yes you can. It will take a little longer to heat up initially, depending on the thickness.
Michelle says
I mixed the eggs with water per instructions, but while cooking, the water and eggs separated, so I ended up with cooked eggs and water all around. The eggs were not fluffy, just scrambled eggs in water. What did I do wrong? Mix too much while cooking?
Hyosun says
Hmm a little bit of water/liquid is normal, but scrambled eggs are not. It’s possible if you were stirring too much over strong heat, not giving the eggs slow time to steam. But sorry not really sure because I’ve never had that experience myself.
Carlos says
I’ve read replies. I had trial and error, but you may be best at the steam method. It worked better for me.
Over heat had the same problem.
Have fun
Ann says
Hello! I just came across your blog. I love trying new foods but I miss my friend’s Chinese steamed eggs. That’s how I came here. Here’s are completely different with a smooth, homogeneous consistency rather than a fluffy one but yours look lovely, too. What level did you microwave them on?
Hyosun says
Thanks! I just do it at the 100 percent (high) level.
Charlynn Yap says
May i add ground pork n carrots? How to do it?
Hyosun says
Yes but not too much so you can enjoy the silky texture of the eggs. Simply stir them into the beaten eggs.
Deb says
Just made this for the very first time, it’s easy and super yummy 😋 thank you for the recipe 💕
Laurie Urban says
I love this recipe! I have taught myself how to cook wonderful Korean food following all your recipes. I agree with other post, you need a cookbook!
Hyosun says
Aww great to hear that. thank you!
Jo says
I love this recipe and share it with friends whenever I can. Please make a cookbook!
David says
Could you make this using a bamboo steamer?
Hyosun says
You can, but you will need small ramekins that fit in the steamer.
Jamie Randolph says
Hi! TRYing his out n the microwave with he bowl covered in saran wrap…. how long should I steam it for??? Thank you SO MUCH!!!
Hyosun says
It will take a few minutes, depending on your microwave. Every microwave is different so check it a couple of times.
Eggman says
of course my microwave may be different from yours, but here is my Microwave method:
(I use the earthenware pot)
4 eggs
1 cup Water (or i do 1 inch above the egg line in the pot)
1/2 tablespoon shrimp seasoning
Mix eggs, water, and shrimp seasoning together.
Microwave for 2 minutes, stir it, and then 2 minutes in the microwave again.
Joyce says
Do you think this recipe could be adapted into ramekins in an InstantPot?
Hang says
I did the exact same thing in 4 small ramekins in an instant pot. I put the trivet in the pot, put a cup of water and placed all 4 ramekins on the trivet. I stacked them 2 on 2. Steam function for 5 minutes and it turned out perfect.
Hyosun says
This is great! I will try it too.
Ingrid says
This looks very appealing! Do you think I could prepare the egg mixture the night before and store it in the refrigerator to cook the following morning?
Hyosun says
That should be fine.
Myra ilaya says
I really like ur recipe i will take this as a menu of my family thank u so much…
Lynn says
May I know what are the ratio for egg to broth?
Hyosun says
The recipe uses 1 cup for 4 eggs.
Sandra says
I am making my way through all of your recipes. After making the anchovy broth needed for this recipe, I made the egg. I even bought a special earthenware pot (very similar to the picture you show). I have an even surface electric stove, so the eggs did not set at the medium low heat on the stove noted on the recipe. I had to turn it to medium high and wait for about 10 minutes before the earthenware pot got hot enough to cook. Once I did that, the egg set beautifully. Then I reduced it to medium heat after I stirred it (following the recipe). We will be making this many times – thank you!
Hyosun says
My pot is very small, and yes I use gas stove. Medium high for 10 min seems quite long, but glad it worked out at the end.
B says
I made this for my boyfriend and he loved it. He did say the flavor profile was a tad off than what he is used to. This is because I did not have anchovy broth and had to use water. Could fish sauce be added with the water as a substitute? What about a teaspoon of soy sauce instead of salt?
And for those using a stone pot, worried about not having the heat too high, if after the 9-10 minutes the consistency of the egg doesn’t seem quite right because the temp was a little low, I just turned off the burner and let it sit with the lid on, checking each minute. By the end of the 3rd minute, it was ready to be served.
Aida says
This is obviously my favorite side dish. You could serve me only this for a meal and I would ask for seconds haha I’ll see if I can buy the special bowl when I go back to Korea so we can make it at home too.
AO says
Question: what sort of cooker do you use? Gas or electric? I have an electric one so I’m unsure if I could use a stone or ceramic pot on it…
Hyosun says
Mine is gas. Hmm I know my daughter once had electric stove and still used ceramic pot.
Marjory says
Thanks for the lovely recipe! Question: How much would you suggest we adjust the cooking time for a single-person serving (two eggs)?
Go says
I tried to follow the recipe with the earthenware method but the top of the eggs wouldn’t set in step 2. What did I do wrong? 🙁
Daniel says
This website is the only thing keeping my marriage alive
Gary Smith says
I just put all ingredients in 4 ramekins and once the water bath was simmering I didn’t touch it for 30 minutes. No stirring. Super poufy, almost a soufflé. Delicious. I used a vegetable base broth. Thanks very much.
Hyosun says
wow slow steaming! I bet it was velvety soft.
Fiona Manoon says
Healthy and tasty thing to eat.Glad to know about this dish.
I must appreciate your creativity.
Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe with us.
Keep Blogging
STEVE S. says
I love this Korean Steamed Eggs dish. At my household, we eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Easy to make and very fulfilling. I have 2 medium-sized ttukbaegi(s) that I use to make this lovely dish.
I usually spray the inner of the ttukbaegi with cooking oil so the eggs do not stick to the walls. Although this method has significantly reduced the amount of egg that sticks, it is not 100% fool-proof. Does anyone know of a method that does NOT allow the eggs to stick to the walls of the ttukbaegi? Thank you.
Jiyoon says
I use butter on the inside of the ttukbaegi. It adds a little buttery kick and the egg slides right out of the dish!
Song Kao says
Where do I buy anchovy broth
R Lee says
Hi! I’m wondering how long it takes the ttukbaegi to heat up so the eggs are simmering? The instructions are to cook 7 minutes after that point, right? I had to keep checking the eggs, it took close to 10 mins to heat up to begin with to simmer. Is this wrong? Thank you! Love your blog and all the recipes we’ve tried!
HSK says
Would you also add the pressure cooker direction that you mentioned/commented? Thank you
Mimi says
I have an induction cooker and the ttukbaegi doesn’t heat up. Can I use the ttukbaegi but follow the stock pot method (I don’t have ramekins)?
Kate Weels says
I like the style of writing on your blog.
Hyosun says
Thank you! Great to hear that!
Fern @ To Food With Love says
This looks beautiful with the prawns and all. I usually steam the egg by placing it on top of the rice in the rice cooker just 15 minutes before the rice is cooked.
Hyosun Ro says
hi Fern! That’s how we used to do when i was growing up. But it’s now a little difficult with the electric pressure cooker I use. Thanks for stopping by!
csk says
This actually doesn’t taste like an egg custard to me! More similar to a quiche! It’s delicious!!!
denise @ quickies on the dinner table says
I don’t really like savoury egg custards but yours looks beautiful – good enough to tempt me!
Hyosun Ro says
Thank you! Let me know how it turns out for you. It will work as an appetizer too.
Christina@Health Foodie says
This looks so lovely and delicious. What a great idea for a sidedish.
Thanks for the inspiration! I will have to try it!
Anonymous says
My wife is Chinese and makes this but more basic. Just water eggs and salt. Then steam it until it is set and serve it with rice. A friend makes it with a can of chicken broth and 4 eggs. The broth gives it a nice flavor.
Izzy says
These eggs came out amazing when I made them. So flavorful and silky. Your recipes are so easy to follow. You are always my first stop when looking for a Korean recipe
Hyosun says
So happy to hear that! Thank you so much!