Eggs in Korean food
Eggs (알류)
In Korean food, eggs go in more often as garnish and batter than as the main ingredient. The thin yellow and white strips on top are egg.
Where it hides in Korean food
Jidan, egg whites and yolks cooked separately into thin sheets and cut into strips, is the classic Korean garnish. It often tops rice cake soup, japchae, naengmyeon and janchi guksu.
Jeon are pan-fried after being coated in flour and egg wash. Pajeon, donggeurangttaeng, fish jeon and beef jeon all contain egg.
Bibimbap and yukhoe are often topped with a raw egg yolk. The bowl is mixed before eating, so ask to leave it out when you order.
Steamed egg and rolled omelet are common side dishes, and egg is one of the basic gimbap fillings. Haejangguk and bean sprout rice soup may have an egg cracked in or a poached egg on the side.
Dishes that contain it
Usually in it
- BibimbapA fried or raw egg on top is a standard part of the bowl. Everything is stirred together before eating, so ask for it to be left off when you order.
- GimbapA strip of thin omelette is one of the standard fillings, rolled in the centre with the radish and vegetables.
- Haemul-pajeon (seafood scallion pancake)Egg is mixed into the batter itself, so it cannot be left off the way a topping could.
- Naengmyeon (cold noodles)Whether the noodles come in cold broth or spicy sauce, half a boiled egg on top is the usual garnish.
Sometimes in it
- Dakgalbi (spicy stir-fried chicken)The corn cheese on corn cheese dakgalbi is made with mayonnaise, which contains egg yolk.
- JapchaeEgg is named among the main ingredients of japchae, so ask about it even if you cannot see it on the plate.
- Korean fried chickenSome wet batters are mixed with egg before the chicken goes into the fryer, so the egg is inside the crust.
- Sundubu-jjigae (soft tofu stew)A raw egg is often cracked into the hot pot just before serving — say so if it should stay out.
- TteokbokkiHard-boiled eggs are a common add-in, simmered whole in the same pot as the cakes and sauce.
Based on the 14 dishes this site has researched. Dishes not listed here can contain it too.