5.0 from 3 votes
Gyeran Bap (Korean Rice with Fried Egg)
Gyeran bap is a delicious umami-packed Korean-style breakfast of fried eggs on rice with seaweed (gim). But it's also delicious as a quick dinner for one when you're in no mood to cook. The runny egg yolk forms a flavourful sauce with the browned butter, sesame oil and soy that clings to the plump rice kernels.
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
10 mins
Servings: 1
Calories: 416 kcal
Course:
Breakfast
Cuisine:
Asian , Korean
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked white rice* , short- or medium-grain
- ½ tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 large egg* , or more if you feel like it
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce , light or all-purpose
Toppings (optional)
- 1 .14-ounce packet roasted salted seaweed*
- ½ tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- Add the rice to a serving bowl and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a small nonstick skillet or well-seasoned wok over medium heat. Once the butter starts to foam, stir in the sesame oil.
- Crack the egg into the pan. As the edges of the white begin to set (after a minute of cooking), drizzle the soy sauce over the egg white. Cook until the whites set around the yolk, puff up slightly, and crisp around the edges – about 2 minutes. Or cook to your desired doneness.
- Slide the fried egg over the rice and pour over the buttery soy sauce from the pan. Crush the seaweed over the rice and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. To eat, use a spoon to break the runny yolk and mix everything together, coating the rice in eggy sauce. Adjust the seasoning to taste at the table, adding more soy sauce or salt.
Cup of Yum
Notes
- In this gyeran bap recipe, I use Eric Kim's gyeran bap trick from Korean American: Food That Tastes Like Home. He fries his eggs in the soy sauce and sesame oil you would normally drizzle over the fried eggs. This way, the sesame oil acts as a cooking fat and seasoning for the rice, and the soy sauce reduces slightly, caramelising around the puffy edges of the fried egg.
- Use short-grain rice (like sushi rice) or medium-grain rice (like Calrose rice). See stovetop sushi rice or instant pot sushi rice for short- or medium-grain rice cooking instructions. You can also use leftover cooked rice reheated thoroughly for a quick breakfast with eggs and rice.
- I use one egg when I have Korean egg rice for breakfast, but I'll add a second egg if it's a quick dinner. You can add as many as you want – just use a large enough pan.
- If you unintentionally overcooked your egg, you'll lose out on the yolky goodness. But you can save the day by stirring a raw egg yolk into the hot rice – if that's your style (it sure is mine).
- You can buy Korean roasted seaweed in snack packs of 4 to 5 grams. These small seaweed sheets are seasoned and crunchier than nori. But you can also use a nori sheet cut into thin strips or a generous sprinkle of furikake rice seasoning. It will seem like excessive seaweed, but it will reduce as it wilts from the heat.
Nutrition Information
Calories
416kcal
(21%)
Carbohydrates
46g
(15%)
Protein
11g
(22%)
Fat
20g
(31%)
Saturated Fat
7g
(35%)
Polyunsaturated Fat
5g
Monounsaturated Fat
7g
Trans Fat
0.3g
Cholesterol
179mg
(60%)
Sodium
401mg
(17%)
Potassium
153mg
(4%)
Fiber
1g
(4%)
Sugar
0.3g
(1%)
Vitamin A
465IU
(9%)
Vitamin C
0.4mg
(0%)
Calcium
83mg
(8%)
Iron
2mg
(11%)
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 416
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 416kcal | 21% |
| Carbohydrates | 46g | 15% |
| Protein | 11g | 22% |
| Fat | 20g | 31% |
| Saturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Polyunsaturated Fat | 5g | 29% |
| Monounsaturated Fat | 7g | 35% |
| Trans Fat | 0.3g | 15% |
| Cholesterol | 179mg | 60% |
| Sodium | 401mg | 17% |
| Potassium | 153mg | 3% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 0.3g | 1% |
| Vitamin A | 465IU | 9% |
| Vitamin C | 0.4mg | 0% |
| Calcium | 83mg | 8% |
| Iron | 2mg | 11% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.