Korean volcano steamed egg (gyeran jjim) is a super easy and popular Korean egg side dish that's jiggly and fluffy. It's made by mixing eggs with water or stock and steamed in earthenware bowl to form its iconic "volcano" appearance. Our Korean volcano egg recipe takes less than 15 minutes to make and requires no stirring at all!
One of our all time favorite Korean banchan is this iconic Korean volcano steamed egg. The first time I had it, I was so enticed by it's continual sizzle and bubbling even after it's been sitting at our table for a whole minute! I totally see why people called it "volcano" egg.
Korean steamed egg is cooked over direct flame, in an earthenware bowl called ttukbaegi. This kind of fries the bottom of the egg custard, like a fried egg, while keeping the center custardy and silky smooth. And because the bottom of the egg custard is fried, it gives the whole steamed egg a caramelized, nutty, toasted flavor, which is also what Korean steamed egg is known for.
This egg side dish is great with some Korean purple rice along with other banchan for simple meal. Or you can serve it with classic dishes like japchae (Korean glass noodle stir fry) and beef bulgogi with vegetables.
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Ingredients
Please scroll down to the recipe card for the ingredient quantities!
- Eggs - Gotta have eggs for an egg dish! We used large eggs and just make sure to whip them up well.
- Water or stock - Of course broth and stock will be more nutritious and flavorful, but water works just fine. Sometimes we like to season with a little bit of chicken bouillon powder, so good! If you have extra anchovy stock leftover, you can use that too!
- Salt - For seasoning the volcano egg. If you prefer, you could also substitute the salt for fish sauce, saeujeot (Korean salted shrimps), or chicken bouillon powder. If you're substituting, you will probably need to adjust the amount used depending on your preference.
- Green onion (optional) - For color, garnish, and additional flavor. Highly recommend, but not absolutely necessary.
- Toasted sesame oil - A Korean (and Asians in general) pantry basic! Toasted sesame oil is for greasing the earthenware and to give the Korean volcano egg extra flavor.
How to make Korean volcano steamed egg
1. In a medium bowl, whip up the eggs until well beaten, and then, add the water (or stock), salt, and green onions. Give the mixture a couple of mixes, or until evenly combined.
2. Add the toasted sesame oil into the small earthenware pot and grease the inside of the bowl completely.
📝 Note: This recipe is perfect for a small earthenware pot with the capacity of 2 cups/500 milliliters. If you are increasing the recipe, please use a pot that corresponds to the amount you're making! We recommend filling a pot about 80 percent full.
3. Pour the prepared egg mixture into the greased earthenware pot and place the pot on the stovetop. Heat over medium low heat and cover the pot with a heatproof bowl that fits over the earthenware pot. Set a timer for 10 minutes.
📝 Note: Korean earthenware bowls/pots works the best over direct flame (like a gas stove or butane burner). An electric stove top may not distribute the heat evenly enough, so you may need to increase the cook time if you're cooking on an electric burner with an earthenware vessel.
4. When the timer goes off, the Korean steamed egg should have a steady stream of steam coming out. Turn off the heat and using a kitchen mitt, carefully remove the heatproof bowl. The egg should have risen and looks cooked through. If not, immediately recover the egg and cook for a couple more minutes.
5. Remove the Korean volcano steamed egg off the stove and onto a heatproof coaster. *Beacsue the earthenware pot is very hot, it's like that it will stain/brown your coaster. So use one you don't mind getting colored.*
6. Serve the volcano steamed egg immediately. But also be careful to not burn yourself! It'll be very HOT!
Notes on Korean earthenware pot on electric stovetop
Korean earthenware bowl, also known as ttukbaegi, is best for cooking over direct flame, like a gas stove and butane burner. Because the earthenware bowl is slightly raised on the bottom, it does not get equal heating when used on an electric stove top.
If you're using a Korean earthenware bowl over an electric stovetop, you may need to increase the cook time, sometimes doubling the cook time. So when making this Korean volcano egg for the first time, we recommend that you time how long it takes for the volcano egg to start letting out a steady stream of steam. Then, cook it for an additional minute. This way, you'll know how long it'll take for you to cook Korean steamed egg in a ttukbaegi on your electric stovetop.
How to make Korean steamed egg without earthenware bowl
If you don't have a ttukbaegi (Korean earthenware bowl) to make this volcano steamed egg, no worries at all! You can still make this fluffy Korean egg side dish using a regular saucepan or pot. All you need to make sure, is to use the right size saucepan/pot and you can follow the recipe as is.
For example, this recipe is for a 2 cup/500 milliliter earthenware bowl. So use a saucepan/pot that is the same capacity. If you increase the recipe, use a larger pot, but you'll still want to fill up the pot about 80 percents full. Now, this is all if you want the "volcano" aesthetic, with the eggs risen out of the pot.
Recipe tips
- Use a timer but also look for signs. We highly recommend using a kitchen timer, but also look for signs like when the egg starts to produce a steady stream of steam. Usually, once the steam starts, we'd let the eggs cook for another minute. Every kitchen appliance is different, so we recommend making necessary adjustments, especially when making a recipe for the first time.
- Substitute the salt for other seasonings like fish sauce or saeujeot (Korean salted shrimps) for more umami and flavor.
- Use a heatproof bowl as a lid. You want something with a bit of height to cover the cooking vessel. So skip the regular lid and use a heatproof bowl.
- Use a kitchen mitt and turn off the heat before removing the bowl or cooking vessel! This is to protect you from accidentally burning yourself.
Other side dishes that you may like
Having a variety of banchan is essential in Korean meals. So if you're looking for more side dishes to go with this Korean volcano steamed egg, we recommend:
- Traditional napa cabbage kimchi
- Geotjeori - Also known as fresh kimchi. It's faster to make and is meant to be made in smaller batches and enjoyed quickly.
- Oi kimchi (Quick cucumber kimchi) - Super refreshing and easy to make.
- Mayak eggs (Korean marinated eggs) - Can't have enough variations of egg side dishes!
FAQ
Generally, Korean steamed egg takes about 10 to 12 minutes to cook. But if cooking on a electric stovetop, using a Korean earthenware bowl, the cook time may need to be increased.
The main difference between Korean and Chinese steamed eggs is the amount of additional water/stock added the eggs. Because Chinese steamed egg tends to have more water/stock added, the steamed eggs are usually smoother and silkier in texture. Also, Korean steamed eggs are usually cooked over direct heat instead of steamed over water.
We recommend keeping the cooking vessel 80 percent filled so that there's enough egg to rise into a "volcano" but not too much where it will overflow.
If you’ve made this recipe or any recipes from our blog, please tag us on Instagram using #twoplaidaprons! You can also tag us in your Instagram stories using @two_plaid_aprons. We would love to see your creations! It absolutely makes our day! 🥰
📖 Recipe
Korean Volcano Steamed Egg (Geyran Jjim)
Ingredients
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup water or stock
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher salt (if using fine salt, use a little less)
- 1 stalk green onion thinly sliced (optional)
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, whip up the eggs until well beaten. Add the water or broth, salt, and sliced green onions. Mix until evenly combined.
- In a 2 cup (500ml) Korean earthenware bowl, add the sesame oil. Use a kitchen brush, coat the inside of the bowl entirely.*Please refer to the post if you're using a regular pot instead of the Korean earthenware bowl.*
- Pour the egg mixture into the earthenware bowl and place it on the stovetop, over medium low heat. Cover the earthenware bowl with a heatproof bowl and set a timer for 10 minutes. When the time is up, there should be a constant stream of steam coming out from under the heatproof bowl.*Earthenware bowls work the best over direct heat (like a gas stove). The cook time is based on cooking over direct flame. Please refer to the notes below for electric stove.*
- Turn off the heat and carefully remove the heatproof bowl with an oven mitt. The egg should be cooked through and should have risen a bit above the rim of the earthenware bowl. Take the earthenware bowl off the stove and serve on a heatproof coaster.*The earthenware bowl will be very hot so please be careful! Also, because the bowl is very hot, it may stain/brown your coaster.*
- Enjoy the Korean volcano egg while hot, but be very careful as it will be very hot!
Notes
- Korean volcano steamed egg is meant to be enjoyed shortly after making. It is not recommended for reheating and storage.
- Earthenware bowl/pot on electric stovetop- Korean earthenware are best used on direct flame. The egg will cook more evenly. If you are cooking on an electric stovetop, you may need to adjust your cook time, sometimes up to 20 minutes.
- If this is the case, you may need to time the cooking for future reference. The indications we look for as a sign that the Korean volcano egg is done, is the constant stream of steam. When the steam is at a constant stream, the egg will usually be done about 1 minute after.
- Using a regular pot instead of a Korean earthenware - You can make volcano egg in a regular pot if you don't have an earthenware pot. Just make sure the pot is similar in size (2 cups/500ml capacity). Please refer to the post for more info!
- Multiplying the recipe - If you're making a larger quantity of this recipe, please use a larger earthenware bowl in correlation to the recipe size.
Jessica says
I will definitely try this recipe, i was just concerned on how to use the korean earthenware pot on a ceramic cooktop, I’ve read in some blogs that they might break if they are put on high temperatures if it raise so fast and might need a heat diffuser, what is your experience on that? Do i really need a heat diffuser or just regulate the temperature when using earthenware pot on ceramic cooktop?
Mei says
Hi Jessica!
It's true that Korean earthenware pots and claypots in general shouldn't be exposed to high heat. In our experience, we haven't had any issues with earthenwares breaking, as long they're used on medium high heat or lower. As for using earthenwares on ceramic cooktop, we find that the earthenware vessels take a lot longer to heat up, sometimes up to 2x the time. A heat diffuser could be helpful for more even heat distribution, but not totally necessary. Hope this answered your question!
Mei ❤️