As a small child in Korea, I grew up on eggs served with rice. We all did! A fried egg mixed with warm steamed rice and a little bit of soy sauce and sesame oil was so delicious. We also had countless lunch boxes with a fried egg on top of the rice, gyeran mari (rolled omelette) or gyeranjjim (steamed eggs). Eggs are still a big part of Korean cuisine. This egg fried rice is flavored with lots of scallions! It’s a quick and easy way to whip up a light meal and use up leftover rice and eggs.
The key to this recipe is the oil flavored with scallions that’s used to cook the eggs and fry the rice. It gives this simple dish a nice flavor.
To keep the eggs soft, I first make scrambled eggs that are a bit runny, remove from the pan, fry the rice, and then add the eggs back to the pan to combine with the rice at the end. The eggs remain nice and fluffy this way.
If you want to add any other protein such as shrimp, chicken, beef, etc. to the fried rice, separately cook them and combine with the rice and eggs at the end. You can also fry frozen peas or finely chopped carrots with the rice. I added some shrimp in the photo below.
As you probably know, the secret to good fried rice is day old rice. If the rice is a bit too hard after being in the fridge, heat it up in the microwave to soften it a little, and break it up if clumped up before frying. If you need to make fresh rice for it, make it slightly drier by using a little less water than usual, fluff it up, and then leave it out to cool and dry out a bit.
This egg fried rice is simply delicious! Also, the scallion scrambled eggs are great on their own as breakfast or as a quick side dish to any Korean meal.
Ingredients
- 2 servings of rice about 3 cups cooked rice
- 3 large eggs
- 3 to 4 scallions or 1 Korean large scallion, daepa 대파, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
- vegetable or canola oil for frying
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- salt and pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds
Instructions
- Finely chop the scallions.
- Crack and beat the eggs in a bowl with chopsticks or a fork.
- Heat a large skillet over medium high heat with 2 tablespoons of oil. Add 2/3 of the scallions, and stir fry until the scallions turn soft and fragrant.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and add the eggs, and gently stir to scramble until the eggs are set but still a bit runny. Transfer to a plate.
- Turn the heat up to medium high. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, and stir in the remaining scallions until the scallions turn soft and fragrant. Stir in 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
- Add the rice, and fry the rice, stirring well and breaking up the clumped up rice, until well toasted.
- Return the eggs to the pan and mix well with the rice, breaking up the eggs. Add salt and pepper to taste, sesame oil, and sesame seeds.
Made this for lunch today…another quick and easy to follow recipe for the win! I’ve made fried rice my entire life in a slightly different method and order. My hubby and I just loved it!! You are my “go-to” for all Korean dishes. Thank you Hyosun!
I added:
Leftover New York Strip (from Mother’s Day)
thank you for sharing this recipe.
We are loving it!
I just added some chicken.
Taste sooooooo good!
Thank you for this recipe. It is foolproof, delicious, and a great way to eat on a budget.
This is my new favorite Korean cooking website. When I have questions about Korean cooking, I look here first.
So happy to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know.
This is pretty amazing. I add leftover veggies and finish with Korean steak and it’s crazy good. Even the eggs alone are Devine.
Great! Thanks for letting us know!
It looks very delicious, I love Korean food So I check the recipes on the web.
This rice & egg dish looks so appetising and best of all sooo simple.
I I will be trying it very soon. Thank you so much for sharing.
You’re welcome! Hope you try it soon.
Love this recipe! This is literally the only way I make fried rice now, thank you!!
Aww I’m thrilled to hear that! Thank you so much for letting me know.
Your masterpiece is so beautiful, Hyosun.
Thank you, Hanna!
Hello Mrs. Ro, thank you for your wonderful recipes. I love how simple and traditional they are. I find your recipes easier to follow than the many Korean recipes I come across in Naver.com. (I am Korean) I also love how you have such a variety of recipes and not just the iconic Korean dishes. I am going to make the Andong JJimdak today. 🙂
I would love to see how you make your myulchibokeum (멸치볶음). Do you use the tiny myulchi? What kind of nuts do you use? 🙂 I love Myulchibokeum, and back home (in Korea) there were 2 ways we had it. I am sure you have your go-to recipe! Please share! 🙂 Thanks again.
Tae
Dear Hyosun Ro,
Thanks a lot for your recipes. I’ve just discovered your blog last weekend and yesterday I’ve made my first DakJuk following your recipe. It was delicious! May be not quite as authentic as what I used to get for breakfast in Seoul and Okpo, but perfect for me.
Unfortunately, most of Korean dishes are a bit too spicy for my liking, but these egg fried rice I will definitely try as well.
Liza
Welcome, Liza! I’m glad you’ve found my blog. There are many Korean dishes that are mild. Hope you find many recipes to try on my blog. Thank you so much for visiting and leaving me comments! It means a lot to me.