Gyeran-jjim계란찜

Eggs have been eaten in Korea for a very long time. In Gyeongju, Tomb No. 155 even yielded eggs that had been placed inside an earthenware vessel. Yet no egg recipes appear in records from before the Goryeo period, and detailed instructions only show up in Joseon-era cookbooks such as Gyugon Siuibang and Jubangmun.

The old version, called aljjim, was made by beating eggs with water, seasoning them with saeujeot (salted fermented shrimp), pouring the mixture into a ttukbaegi earthenware pot and setting it on top of the rice to steam. In other words, the steam from cooking the rice cooked the side dish as well. Names didn't always match the dish, either: the early 20th-century cookbook Joseon Musang Sinsik Yori Jebeop records the same method as today's aljjim under the name gyerantang, or "egg soup."

Gyeran-jjim (계란찜) is still often seasoned simply with salt or salted shrimp, sometimes topped with a few mushrooms or slices of fish cake. It shows up both at home and as a side dish in restaurants, where its mild, soft texture helps tame the heat of spicy food.