Gyeran-guk (Egg Drop Anchovy Broth Soup)
Quick answer
- Total time
- 15 min
- Level
- Easy
- Servings
- 2 servings
- Ingredients
- 6
About this dish
Gyeran-guk is Korea's most accessible comfort soup: a clear, golden broth seasoned with soy sauce and garlic into which a beaten egg is drizzled in a thin stream.
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When the egg hits the rolling boil, it sets almost instantly into delicate, flower-like ribbons that drift through the liquid in pale yellow sheets. Sliced green onion and a drop of sesame oil added at the end bring a gentle fragrance that lifts the otherwise clean, mild broth. The result is soothing and restorative, mild enough for a sick day yet substantial enough to anchor a full meal of rice and side dishes. Its near-universal appeal on Korean dinner tables comes partly from the fact that nearly every household keeps eggs, soy sauce, and garlic on hand, making it the soup most likely to appear with no planning at all. From start to finish the bowl is ready in under ten minutes.
Ingredients
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Instructions
Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.
- 1Prep
Crack 3 eggs into a bowl and beat until no streaks of white remain.
Strain the mixture through a fine sieve to remove chalazae, so the egg sets into clean ribbons instead of cloudy bits.
- 2Heat
Slice 0.5 green onion thinly and keep it separate.
It loses fragrance if boiled for long, so have it ready before heating the broth and save it for the final minute.
- 3Control
Add 1000 ml water, 1 tbsp soup soy sauce, and 0.5 tbsp minced garlic to a pot.
Bring it to a strong boil over high heat, then reduce to medium once the garlic aroma rises.
- 4Heat
When the boil calms to steady small bubbles, pour the egg in a thin stream while moving in a circle.
Do not stir hard during pouring, or the ribbons will break into fine crumbs.
- 5Step
After adding the egg, leave the soup undisturbed for 30 seconds so the surface turns pale yellow and sets.
Then stir only once with a wide motion to loosen the ribbons without clumping them.
- 6Prep
Add the sliced green onion and 0.5 tsp sesame oil, then turn off the heat immediately.
Ladle once to check that the egg ribbons are soft and the broth is clear before serving hot.
Practical Cooking Checks
The cues that matter most while cooking.
- Key technique
- Gyeran-guk creates delicate egg ribbons drizzled into a golden broth seasoned with soup soy sauce.
- Finish cue
- Ladle once to check that the egg ribbons are soft and the broth is clear before serving hot.
- Avoid this
- Do not stir hard during pouring, or the ribbons will break into fine crumbs.
Cooking decision evidence
Calculated Charim data and applicable official cooking and food safety guidance.
This recipe
15min, 6 ingredients
Category median
45min, 8 ingredients
Based on 310 recipes
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