If you feel lazy to cook today, let’s make a 2-minute Korean egg rice (Gyeran Bap 계란밥). It’s the easiest and most authentic everyday Korean home meal that doesn’t require a stove, just a microwave. The ingredients are simple, but with just a few of them, it’s one of the dishes that brings out the true taste of Korea.
Table of Contents
What is Korean Egg Rice?
Korean egg rice is a simple but beloved soul food of all Koreans. It’s made by adding soy sauce and sesame oil seasoning to rice, then topping with a fried egg and mixing. For many Koreans, this dish brings back memories of childhood, often made by their grandmothers.
Why Do Koreans Love Soy Sauce Egg Rice?
It’s all about convenience and speed – Koreans love anything that’s quick and easy. It doesn’t require a stove and the ingredients are simple (eggs are always available). It has the salty and nutty flavors Koreans love. Plus, it’s a nutritious meal that provides a good amount of protein.
Easy to Make Anywhere, Even Abroad
Korean soy sauce egg rice is a dish that can be easily prepared not only in Korea but also abroad. As a Korean, it can be very difficult to find all the ingredients needed to cook Korean food. For example, here in Belgium, we don’t have the chives that are commonly used in Korea, only green onions. There’s also a limited variety of fish sauces, and even anchovy sauce is hard to find. But soy sauce egg rice doesn’t require any of these hard-to-find ingredients. With just eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and rice, it’s easy to make anywhere.
Topping Ideas
I just topped mine with sesame seeds. You can also garnish it with finely chopped green onions, sprinkle crumbled seaweed on top, or even wrap the egg rice in seaweed. However, seaweed is expensive here in Belgium, and I was too lazy to go out and buy green onions today. So I made it super simple and just topped it with sesame seeds, the most common, basic Korean style. In fact, many Koreans don’t even add sesame. This is literally the most ordinary and lazy meal!
Really Easy Korean Cooking
Korean food is not difficult. Most of my Korean friends can’t even make dishes like kimchi, bulgogi, or japchae. For example, japchae is usually eaten on holidays, and I only have it once a year. It’s definitely not an everyday Korean food. I wonder if people think that we Koreans cook difficult dishes like this every day just because foreigners focus on these more complicated dishes haha.
Most Koreans usually buy marinated bulgogi from the store and grill it, and they also buy japchae from side dish shops. While some people make side dishes at home, many of us buy the ones that take a long time to prepare.
As for kimchi, we usually buy it in stores except during the kimjang season(season to make kimchi). The dishes that Koreans typically make at home are very simple and easy, such as kimchi fried rice or kimchi jjigae.
I want to share simple Korean dishes with you because I believe they are the most authentic way to experience Korean food. It’s the easiest way for you to try Korean cuisine.
The Real Home Meal Culture in Korea
– A Preference for Simple Meals Over Fancy Dishes
Koreans are busy people. They usually leave home by 7:30 a.m., and by the time they get back from work, it’s about 7-8 p.m. No one wants to cook at that time. So we often eat out at restaurants or order delivery. Alternatively, we buy side dishes from stores and eat them with rice, or we have ultra-easy meal kits that only require cooking because the seasoning is already done.
What Do Koreans Eat every day?
Many young Koreans skip breakfast and just drink coffee. If they do eat, it’s usually just a piece of bread. Younger students or our parents’ generation often have a full meal, but it’s also common to have simple toast, sandwiches, or bagels.
For dinner, it’s common to take out side dishes made the day before and eat them with rice and soup, or have one-dish meals like rice bowls or fried rice.
What is common in Korean food?
These are the most common Korean meal combinations that Koreans eat regularly in everyday life:
- Rice + soup(guk) or stew(jjigae) + kimchi + side dishes
- Noodles + kimchi
- Rice + soup or stew + main meat or seafood + side dishes + kimchi
- One-dish meals: kimchi fried rice, spicy pork stir-fry rice bowl, egg rice, chicken mayo rice bowl
What is The Easiest Korean Dish to Make?
Let’s take a look at the easiest and most common Korean dishes that you can make quickly, even on busy days.
Easy and Fast Dishes for Busy Days
- 2 minutes Soy Sauce Egg Rice: No stove needed today. In fact, it’s ready in 1 minute and 40 seconds in the microwave.
- 5 minutes Kimchi Fried Rice: You don’t need any extra ingredients – just stir-fry rice with kimchi and it’s delicious. Below is a kimchi fried rice made with radish kimchi, which gives it a crunchy texture that makes it one of the most popular versions of kimchi fried rice that Koreans love. Be sure to try it!
- 10 minutes Bibim Guksu (Mixed Noodles): This dish is super easy to make with a base of soy sauce and sesame oil. It’s not spicy and has the sweet and salty flavor combination that Koreans love. It’s one of the best Korean dishes for kids to enjoy.
- 15 minutes Korean BBQ at Home: You don’t need a grill or side dishes for Korean BBQ at home. With delicious meat and kimchi, you can have a tasty meal in just 15 minutes. This is how Koreans typically enjoy BBQ at home. I’ve also included three recipes for Korean BBQ sauce.
- BlondeKimchi offers authentic Korean BBQ set for catering in Belgium.
What if You Don’t Have a Microwave?
If you don’t have a microwave, you can use a frying pan. The original method is to fry the egg in a frying pan, then place it on top of the rice and pour soy sauce and sesame oil over it. However, this microwave method is the easiest way to make soy sauce egg rice as introduced by Korean celebrity ‘Lee Chan Won’.
Get Ingredients Here
- Soy Sauce (Jin Ganjang): You should use Jin Ganjang (dark soy sauce). Guk Ganjang (broth soy sauce) is for soups, and Yangjo Ganjang (brewing soy sauce) is best not used for cooking over heat.
- Shop in the US: https://amzn.to/4gYk1BJ
- Shop in EU: https://amzn.to/4gW8zGv (DE)
- Sesame Oil: Use sesame oil with a ratio of 100% toasted sesame seeds for the best flavor. Korean sesame oil tends to be smoother and more nutty.
- Shop in the US: https://amzn.to/3QCZIyE
- Shop in EU: https://amzn.to/43fg5cn (DE), https://amzn.to/4bdP8Ys (NL)
- Rice: It’s best to use Korean rice, but if you don’t have it, sushi rice is a good substitute.
- Shop in the US: https://amzn.to/4bdcfCH
- Shop in EU: https://amzn.to/41xxThP (NL), https://amzn.to/4kgVgmQ (DE)
- Sesame seeds (on stir fried kimchi)
- Shop in the US: https://amzn.to/3D85aXg
- Shop in EU: https://amzn.to/3EQVBwt (DE), https://amzn.to/3D7C6iD (NL)
2 Minute Korean Egg Rice (Gyeran Bap)
Equipment
- 1 Microwave (If you don't have, use a pan)
- 1 microwave safe bowl:
- 1 Spoon
- 1 Fork
Ingredients
- 1 bowl rice
- 2 eggs
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (jin ganjang)
- 2 tbsp water
- 1/4 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 pinch sesame seeds
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, mix 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp water, and 1/4 tbsp sesame oil well.
- Add 2 eggs and gently poke the yolks with a fork (to prevent them from bursting in the microwave).
- Microwave for 1 minute and 40 seconds in intervals (30 seconds, 30 seconds, and 40 seconds).
- Place the soy sauce eggs on top of rice and sprinkle with sesame seeds (optional).
Korean Egg Rice
- 잘 먹겠습니다! Jal Meokgetseumnida!
- Mix well! Yummm
Did you make this recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and tag @blondekimchi_ on Instagram and hashtag it #blondekimchi.