Korean egg toast (gaeran to su tu)

Egg toasts are sold by street stall vendors in Korea to cater for those in a hurry. Koreans usually have a hot breakfast of rice, soup, kimchi and side dishes. These pan fried white bread toasted egg sandwiches are a fusion of Asian flavours and Western influences. The addition of cabbages lends a lovely crunch to the soft egg omelette.

• serves

  2

• prep

  10 minutes

• cook

  5 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 slices white or brown bread
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 tbsp finely diced carrot
• 1 tbsp finely diced onion
• ¼ cup finely sliced green cabbage
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch ground black pepper
• 2 thin slices ham
• 2 large, square slices tasty cheese
• 1 tbsp tomato ketchup
• 2 tsp mayonnaise, optional
• ½ tsp raw sugar, optional

The following recipe has been tested and edited by SBS Food and may differ slightly from the podcast.

Instructions

Place a large, non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Add 1 tbsp butter and 2 tsp oil, taking care not to burn the butter. Add 2 slices of bread and gently fry both sides until golden. Remove from heat and repeat with the remaining bread slices, 1 tbsp butter and 2 tsp oil. Set aside. Wipe oil from frying pan.

Combine eggs with carrot, onion, 1 tbsp cabbage, salt and pepper in a bowl. Place the same frying pan over medium heat and add remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Pour egg mixture into the pan and spread the mixture out into a round shape. Turn the heat to low and gently cook the eggs for 2 minutes until almost cooked, tucking the sides in with a wooden spoon to make a long rectagular shaped omelette. Flip the omelette over and cook for 1 minute or until just set. Set aside the omelette to cool, then cut in half to make 2 large square pieces, about the same size as the bread.

Return 2 slices of toasted bread to the same heated pan. Over a low heat, to each slice of bread, add 1 slice of cheese, 1 slice of ham, 1 portion omelette, 1 tbsp cabbage, 2 tsp tomato ketchup, 1 tsp mayonnaise, ¼ tsp sugar. Top the toast with the remaining bread slices and flip over to gently heat the other side. (Filling the sandwich over a gentle heat should take about 1 minute.) Remove toasted egg sandwiches from the pan and cut toasts in half diagonally.

Note

• On the streets of Seoul, street vendors sell these white bread and egg pan fried toasts wrapped in foil. Wholemeal bread can be toasted for a healthier low-fat version.

Photography by Alan Benson

Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.