Volcano Korean Steamed Egg (Gyeranjjim)

 This ultra fluffy Korean Steamed Egg instantly melts in your mouth with its velvety soft texture. Cooked in a Korean Earthenware pot, this quick and easy meal is the perfect way to warm up in the cold weather. 

What is Volcano Korean Steamed Egg?

Korean Steamed Egg, also known as Gyeranjjim (계란찜), is a savory egg custard dish served as a popular side dish in Korea. Gyeran translates to eggs, and jjim refers to a steamed dish.

This quick and delicious dish is often served as banchan (side dish) in Korean households, but I personally love having this dish for a light breakfast as well. 

This dish is commonly made with a base of eggs and scallions (or green onions), but other chopped vegetables such as onion, carrot, bell pepper, and/or zucchini are great additions as well.

The recipe I will be sharing today is the classic rendition of the dish, with a unique cooking method that is currently popular in Korea.

How do you make Volcano Korean Steamed Egg?

As the name specifies, this recipe adapts a new cooking method that makes the fluffiest steamed eggs possible by covering the pot with a dome-shaped bowl during the final stages of cooking.

This dish is referred to as Poktan Gyerranjim in Korea, which directly translates to Bomb Steamed Egg.

Similar to a volcano or a bomb, the egg erupts into a large fluffy dome shape during the last stages of cooking, with the enclosure of the dome lid acting like an oven.

The trapped heat allows the center of the egg to erupt like a volcano, making an ultra fluffy and rotund shape upon serving.

Here are the simple ingredients you will need for this recipe:

• Eggs, to be beaten with a dash of salt and sugar (1/2 tsp each) and diluted with around 2/3 cup of water.
• Green onions, to be mixed into the egg mixture, as well as for garnish.
• Sesame oil and sesame seeds for garnish. Some oil will be used to coat the pot as well to ease the cleanup.

Tips and tricks to make the best Korean Steamed Egg

 

Making this dish is incredibly easy so long as you follow the essential steps. Here are some tips to help your cooking process:

• You will need a small earthenware pot for this recipe. These traditional Korean pots disperse and retain heat which makes up the steaming process, as well as maintains the heat while it is being served.
  • I am using a small size pot for this recipe, which is about 4.8″ in diameter and has around a 2-cup capacity. Here is a model on Amazon that’s similar to mine. This size pot is perfect for cooking one-serving stews, steamed dishes, or as a sizzling pot for Bibimbap.
• Coat the surface with sesame oil, this will make the cleanup a lot easier as it prevents the eggs from being baked onto the pot, as well as add extra aromas!

Additional tips for the cooking process

• Beat the eggs thoroughly in a separate bowl, ensuring the mixture is smooth as possible prior to cooking. This will ensure that the eggs have that beautiful velvety soft consistency.
• Start on medium-low heat, and stir constantly while scraping the bottom of the pot with a spoon. This method is crucial in ensuring the eggs don’t burn at the bottom of the pot.
• Keep stirring until about 80% percent of the egg mixture becomes curdy, and place a dome-shaped bowl on top. Any heat-resistant bowl will work, or you can even use another similar-sized earthenware pot to cover the pot.
• Finish the cooking on low heat for about 2 minutes, remove the top lid, and garnish with sesame oil, chopped green onions, and sesame seeds. You can also add some Gochugaru (Korean chili powder) if you want the extra kick. Be sure to use heat resistant oven mitts when removing the lid, as it will be piping hot!
  • If using a butane stove like mine in the video, the overflowing liquid might put out the fire. Rest assured, the stone pot will have enough heat to finish the cooking.
• If you do not have an earthenware pot on hand, simply follow the same process, cover with a dome-shaped bowl, and steam for an additional 2-3 minutes until the mixture is set.

How do you serve Korean Steamed Egg?

Although steamed egg itself tastes delicious on its own, there are many different garnishes you can add to cater to your own taste. Here is a list of possible additions:

• Sesame seeds
• Sesame oil
• Green onions or scallions
• Gochugaru (Korean red chili flakes)
• Mozzarella or cheddar cheese. I recommend adding the cheese before placing the dome-shaped bowl, for the cheese to melt into the steamed eggs
• Chopped Korean chili pepper
• Myeongnanjeot (Mentaiko)
• Dried seaweed flakes (Nori)
• Diced vegetables such as carrot, zucchini, or bell pepper, to be added into the egg mixture prior to cooking

I hope you enjoy this recipe, please leave a comment below or send me a message on Instagram if you have any questions. Happy cooking! 😊

Other Korean recipes you may like:

• Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)
• Bibim Guksu (Korean Spicy Cold Noodles)
• Tteokbokki (Korean Spicy Rice Cakes)
• Japchae (Korean Stir-Fried Glass Noodles)
• Kimchi Udon Noodle Stir Fry 
• Korean Shrimp Burger