zucchini gyeran jjim
hello there,
it’s been a hot minute and there’s so much to catch you guys up on - in due time, in due time! it is now fully autumn here in new york, which also means we’re moving on into comfort food season.
i’m thinking really hard about what could be more comforting than a warm, silky, savory steamed egg en cocotte? it’s a gentle dish that feels as satisfying as cradling a warm sleeping baby or slipping your feet into fuzzy slippers. hm…it’s hard, i gave up. if you can think of one that tops this, plz drop in a comment. i’d love to hear yours.
one thing to note is that this gyeran-jjim (steamed egg) is unlike its aggressively steamed brother version, you know…the fluffy kind served alongside korean bbq that you might burn the roof of your mouth with. this guy is slowly cooked, almost custard-like, yielding a denser silkiness. don’t get me wrong, both kinds of steamed eggs are equally delicious, but this takes on the personality of a lullaby. why does come into my arms by november ultra come to mind?
ok y’aaall. i won’t be that person that writes an unnecessarily long blog post when you just came here for the recipe. hope you enjoy! sending you a hug by way of warm cozy gyeran-jjim.
<3 christine
zucchini gyeran-jjim
4 servings
ingredients
dashima stock
2 cups water
10 small squares dashima, roughly 1.5x1.5” in. (dried kelp)
6-7 myulchi (dried anchovy)
egg mixture
1 cup diced zucchini
5 eggs
1 tbs mirin
1 tbs soup soy sauce
1/2 tsp kosher salt
to top
fresh cracked black pepper
sprinkle on chopped scallion
or
jalapeno scallion oil (optional, in video)
notes
stock + egg prep
in small pot, bring 2 cups of water up to a simmer with dashima and myulchi
simmer for 15-20 minutes until water has reduced down to 1.5 cups
while stock is simmering, prep zucchini by dicing into small cubes by slicing into pencil-width strips long ways, then chopped into cubes. if you’re feeling crafty, you can peel the zucchini first and make a lattice - but that’s completely optional :)
whisk 5 eggs together in one bowl, then strain using a sieve into another mixing bowl. discard chunky egg parts. toss zucchini into the same bowl
stir in mirin, soy sauce, and kosher salt into egg-zucchini mixture
once stock has reduced, let it cool down until you can safely dip your finger into it without getting burned. if you don’t let it cool down first and add it to the eggs, you’ll curdle your eggs! stir stock into egg mixture
jjim-ing the eggs (steaming)
if you don’t have small cocotte pots, you can alternatively use a small clay ddukbaegi or heat resistant bowls with a lid as your steaming vessel
place your steaming vessel into a shallow pan, then pour water into the shallow pan. ideally, the water line in the pan would be leveled with the egg mixture if you can picture it
heat water up to a low simmer (aka when steam and small bubbles float up to the top). carefully ladle in the egg mixture, then cover
steam for ~20-25 minutes checking in at the 20 mark. steaming time depends on the size of the vessel you use. if using a larger vessel, a few more minutes will be needed
once the egg has fully cooked through to the middle (use the chopstick poke test - you should only see clear liquid on it), turn off heat and carefully remove vessel from the pan
last bits before enjoying
crack on fresh black pepper atop and sprinkle green onions. in my case, i had leftover jalapeno scallion oil so i drizzled it on…it was perfection!