Go to the Recipe: Microwave Korean Steamed Eggs (Gyeran-Jjim)
I’m curious about using my steam oven to cook this. Recommended settings?
To be honest, I didn't test too much into the stovetop method for this project.
Some amount of starch, or even xanthan gum, would help to keep the egg mixture stable and tall once height is achieved. But the main levers are mechanical: You could mechanically aerate the egg mixture before cooking (whip a lot before cooking); and your steam/heat setup needs to be quite robust in the initial stages of cooking (stirring and heating quickly) to set the peripheral edges and get that eventual "dome".
I'd be interested to hear if you figure out a good method!
Glad to hear you're liking the recipe.
Re: the "jellied" portion. I didn't notice this appreciably in my tests, but some things come to mind:
-Yes, the starch is likely settling and gelling with the eggs at a faster rate than it can stay suspended in the mixture during the cook
Two potential solves:
Hope this helps!
Any tips for getting it to soufflé via the stovetop method? I’ve had some fairly insta-famous versions that seemingly doubled the volume of the ttukbaegi and were very cloud-like, yet still super rich and savory. I’ve tried the technique of inverting a second ttukbaegi—creating something of a vacuum effect—to encourage more height but that didn’t help much.
Loving the technique and the formula! I’ve been making half a batch in our microwave, cooking it on medium power for 7 minutes. I’ve noticed that when it’s done, we’re getting a “jellied” portion on the bottom.
It appears to me that the starch may be settling and gelling with the eggs. I do give the mixture a good whisk and immediately pour it into the bowl before microwaving.
Any insight would be greatly appreciated, unless, of course, this is completely normal. I’d love to know if there’s anything I can do to prevent the jellied layer from forming.
I resisted the temptation to say this didn't look like a better result. Now I know why!
Good catch, yes that was an error on our part! All fixed now.
I have to ask - in the tip "traditional vs. microwave Korean steamed eggs", the text says that in the traditional method the eggs take on a toasted, browned crust and the texture is more like scrambled eggs, but in the microwave there's very little browning, if any, and the texture is more like a custard. However, in the accompanying photograph, the eggs on the left are labeled "traditional", but have no browning and a very even texture, whereas the eggs on the right are labeled "microwaved" but have a distinct brown bottom and appear more scrambled. Is this a typo?
If one has a combi oven, would this be preferable, equivalent, less good…?
Oop… “Chef Mike” is a nickname for the microwave!
Looks delicious! It reminds me a little bit of the Peter Serpico/David Chang microwaved chawanmushi recipe, which I really love.
I have a question: at the top it mentions someone named Chef Mike, but then the recipe is credited to Tim Chin. Is there a new chef in the chefsteps crew?
