Korean "Egg Sauce" aka Gyeran Jjim

Mom's egg sauce was oh so delightful with a big bowl of rice and a side of kimchi.  She always made it in her silver medium saucepan and it always tasted light and delicious.  I can remember her whipping up a batch of this on late nights when my brother was visiting from out of town.  Kyong is the one who really knows how to make this like Mom's.  This is his slightly modified version.  Below are versions I found online where you make it in a hot pot and also make it in the microwave.

4 eggs (mom used to use way more)

3-4 tsp water

1 tsp sesame seed oil

black pepper

salt

chopped scallions

garlic

Whisk all the ingredients together.  Pour into saucepan (make sure to leave room at top for expansion).  Cook over low-medium heat for 20-30 minutes until egg is completely cooked.

Hot Pot Recipe:

4 eggs

1 1/2 cup water

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic

2 TB chopped scallions

Whisk ingredients together.  Pour into hot pot.  Cover.  Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Open pot up and cook until eggs are almost set (about 3 minutes)

Microwavable recipe:

3 eggs

1/2 cup water

3 tsp salted shrimp (optional)

*Tip: If you don’t have sae woo jeot (salted shrimp sauce), you can use 3 ts of fish sauce

2 green onions

In a microwavable bowl combine all ingredients and stir it with a fork.  Put the bowl into the microwave and cook for about 5 minutes.

Yaki-Mandu (Korean Egg Rolls)

Mom was known for her Yaki-Mandu.  If you were one special enough to try one of hers hot out of the oil, you would agree they would just melt in your mouth.  Even her Korean family members agree.  Of course, she didn't write her recipe down, but this was one we watched her make and wrote down the ingredients.  The amounts may vary to your taste, but here are the rough measurements I use.  Oh yeah, while you are chopping the vegetables (she never used a food processor), you have to imagine her telling you that you need to chop the vegetables smaller and thinner.  Ha!  I never could get it exactly right!  She could chop that stuff faster than any professional chef and there were many nights before a special occasion, you would hear her in the kitchen chopping away into the wee hours of the morning.  They were made with love and I have yet to make one exactly like hers!


1 lb ground beef, browned and drained
1-2 lbs ground pork, browned and drained
1 c. carrots, chopped
1 c. celery, chopped
1 small can of sliced water chestnuts, chopped
1 c. chopped (not too small) prepared clear noodles (mung bean noodles)
salt, pepper and garlic to taste
a little egg and green onions sliced, optional
peanut or vegetable oil for frying
soy sauce for dipping, optional

Mix all the ingredients together.  Place 1 tsp. filling in 1 wonton wrapper.  Use egg white or water to seal.  Fry in hot oil until lightly browned.  Allow mandu to drain and cool slightly.  Eat as many as you possibly can.

Pa Jun (Korean scallion pancake)

This Korean pancake recipe is easy to make and always yummy.  It can be a snack, appetizer or side dish.  You can tweak it to your own tastes.  Mom used to like to add jalepenos sliced, kimchi, white onions.  Also octopus, shrimp (small and chopped), carrots, zucchini, and mushrooms are also good options.  Jean and I ate these seafood pa jun while we were on our trip to Korea.


If you use ready-made batter (Buchimgae) from the Korean store, add 3/4 cup water to every 1 cup of dry mix and whatever other ingredients you want to use.


2 cups flour (can use some sweet rice flour)
2 eggs, beaten (optional)
1.5 cups water
1 bunch scallions, halved and cut into 2-3" lengths
salt and pepper to taste
oil for cooking

Mix 1st 4 ingredients together and let sit ~10 minutes.  Check consistency before using.  Should be a little bit runnier than American pancake batter, so that the pa jun cooks quickly and evenly.

Heat a pan (skillet) over MED heat and coat with a thin layer of oil.

Pour batter to fill pan in a thin layer (~1/3 of your batter should fill a regular saute pan).  Cook for 3-4 minutes or until set and golden on the bottom.

Turn over with the help of a spatula or plate and finish by cooking 1-2 minutes, adding more oil if necessary.

Serve with soy sauce or spicy dipping sauce (recipe below)

Spicy Dipping Sauce:
1/3 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB chili pepper flakes (Kochukaru)
1 TB scallions, thinly sliced
1 tsp finely chopped garlic

*great with dumplings, myung bean pancakes and tempura dishes too.  Can make in large batches and store in fridge for a couple of weeks.

Jap Chae ("Chop Suey")

My mother never wrote down her recipes, but this tastes like hers.  This is a dish we used to have on special occasions-- even American holidays like Thanksgiving.  She always used to make two separate batches.  She made one recipe like this but with sugar added for Kyong, my brother.  The other batch was similar to the one listed below.  Believe me when I say that no one can cook Korean like my mother could!  She was a culinary genius!


Beef:
~1/2 lb sirloin steak, thinly sliced
1 tsp sugar
1 TB soy sauce
2 tsp mirin (optional, Mom didn't use this)
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
1 tsp sesame seeds

Mix all ingredients together and cover.  Marinate in the fridge for at least 1/2 hour.

Noodles:
~1/2 lb sweet potato glass noodles or rice vermicelli noodles or myung bean noodles *
2 TB soy sauce
drizzle sesame oil

Prepare the noodles according to the package (boil for about 3 minutes), drain and rinse in cold water.  Place in a mixing bowl with the soy sauce and sesame oil.

Omelette:
1 TB or less vegetable oil
2 eggs, lightly beaten
little salt and garlic to season

Heat the vegetable oil in a non-stick frying pan over MED-LOW heat.  When hot, pour in the eggs to make a thin omelette.  Cook slowly 3-4 minutes, to avoid browning the omelette, then flip over and cook the other side until set.  Slide the omelette onto a chopping board and cut into 5 mm strips, season with a pinch of salt and garlic and set aside.

Vegetables:
2 TB vegetable oil
1/2 lg onion sliced thin
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 spring onions, cut on the bias, thinly
1 carrot, julienned
1/4-1/2 cup canned mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms
*optional: 150g spinach leaves
1 TB sesame seeds
1 TB sesame oil
1 TB soy sauce (optional)
1 TB sugar (optional)
1 1/2 tsp black pepper
garlic powder to taste

Heat the vegetable oil in a wide, deep-sided pan over medium heat.  Tip in the onions and garlic and fry gently without browning, until soft and translucent.

Increase the temperature to MED-HIGH heat and add the marinated beef and juices in the bowl and cook for ~2 minutes.  Stir in the green onions, carrots, mushrooms and spinach (cooked separately in soy sauce, sesame oil and seeds for about 30 seconds, drained).  Cook for 4-5 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Tip in all the remaining vegetable ingredients, plus the noodles and omelette and stir-fry for about 2 minutes or until the noodles are glossy and hot through.  Serve at once or cold.  I like it both ways!