Korean Garlic Chive Egg Soup
Quick answer
This simple home-style soup combines garlic chives, egg, and tofu in a light broth seasoned with soup soy sauce and garlic.
What makes this special
- Buchu gyeran-guk features silky egg ribbons and garlic chives in a light, soy-seasoned home-style broth.
- Egg poured in a slow circle and left unstirred to form silky ribbon strands
- Garlic chives and sesame oil added in the last 30 seconds to trap their volatile aroma
Key ingredients
Core cooking flow
- 1 Cut 80 g garlic chives into even 4 cm lengths, and cut 120 g soft tofu into 1.5 cm cubes.
- 2 Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and beat with chopsticks until the yolks and whites are fully combined.
- 3 Put 850 ml water in a pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
This simple home-style soup combines garlic chives, egg, and tofu in a light broth seasoned with soup soy sauce and garlic. Tofu cubes go in first to warm through for two minutes, then beaten egg is poured in a slow, circular stream and left undisturbed for thirty seconds to form silky ribbons. Chives and sesame oil are added in the final half-minute so their aroma stays vivid in the finished bowl. Because the ingredient list is short, cutting the tofu into even cubes and managing the heat carefully are what separate a polished result from a cloudy one. Pouring the egg too forcefully or stirring immediately breaks up the ribbons and muddies the broth.
Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Control
Cut 80 g garlic chives into even 4 cm lengths, and cut 120 g soft tofu into 1.5 cm cubes.
Keeping the tofu pieces similar in size helps them warm evenly and reduces breakage while the soup simmers.
- 2Prep
Crack 2 eggs into a bowl and beat with chopsticks until the yolks and whites are fully combined.
Avoid whipping in lots of foam, because a smooth beaten egg pours more evenly into the broth.
- 3Control
Put 850 ml water in a pot and bring it to a boil over medium heat.
Once it boils, add 1 tablespoon soup soy sauce and 0.7 teaspoon minced garlic to build the base seasoning.
- 4Control
When the broth returns to a boil, add the tofu gently and cook for 2 minutes.
Lower the heat to a gentle simmer instead of a hard boil so the broth stays clear and the tofu keeps its shape.
- 5Control
While the broth is gently simmering, pour the beaten egg slowly in a circular stream from the edge of the pot.
Do not stir right away. Let it set for 30 seconds to form soft ribbons.
- 6Finish
Add the garlic chives and 0.5 teaspoon sesame oil, then simmer for only 30 seconds.
When the chives look vivid, season with 0.4 teaspoon salt, turn off the heat, and serve immediately.
After the steps
Pick a recipe that fits this dish.
Continue with shared ingredients, meal pairings, or a similar method.
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