KOREA FOUNDATION

When side dishes haven’t been prepared or the cupboards are bare, what rounds out the dinner spread better than eggs? With just a few ingredients, we can whip up simple dishes like fried eggs, rolled eggs, or steamed eggs, all in under 10 minutes.

   For Koreans, gyeranjjim, or steamed eggs, with finely cut peppers or green onions makes for a good meal. This super simple dish is made by whisking the eggs and adding a little water. The key is in the last stage of cooking: the earthenware bowl in which the eggs are cooked should be left on low heat with its lid on for some time. Otherwise, your nicely steamed dish may turn into egg soup, or worse, a bowl of blackened, burnt, inedible eggs.

   In France, people began to eat egg soufflé in the 18th century. Cheese, butter, eggs yolks, and other ingredients are mixed with whipped egg whites and baked until the batter puffs up and the top has browned. Soufflé should be served immediately because its inflated top will collapse not long after it’s taken out of the oven and cools.

  Shakshuka, a popular egg dish in Africa and the Middle East, is gaining popularity on social media for its unique look. It’s earned the nickname “eggs in hell” since it looks like the eggs have been dropped into burning red flames. The dish is made by poaching eggs in a spicy sauce of tomatoes, peppers, and onions.

   In Mexico, huevos divorciados (“divorced eggs”) is a representative egg dish. Two fried eggs are served over tortillas, one with red tomato-based salsa and the other with green tomatillo-based salsa. A line of beans or meat is spooned down the center of the plate between the eggs.

   An “easy” recipe might sound like it won’t satisfy your hunger, but if we can scrounge up one or two eggs for easy-to-make dishes at that desperate moment when both our stomachs and refrigerators are empty, what word could be better to hear?

Written by Kim Shinyoung
Illustrated by Jeong Hyoju

#Gyeranjjim #Egg_souffl#Shakshuka #Huevos_divorciados