Korean Egg Roll or Gyeran Mari

Did you ever just want to eat your omelet with chopsticks? This is a favorite in my house. There’s nothing quite as fun as eating with chopsticks, especially when it’s a simple meal. The Korean egg roll is unique in that it’s basically an omelet that the cook rolls up and slices so that it can be eaten with chopsticks. It’s really great for breakfast of course, but it’s also good to put in your lunch box. It’s super easy to whip up like an omelet. You can eat it for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. So, isn’t it nice that you can eat breakfast for dinner and say we’re having Korean egg rolls? Pssst!  You can also sneak some vegetables into the kiddos!

INGREDIENTS:

• 3 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons finely shredded and chopped carrot
• salt and pepper to taste
• vegetable oil, bacon grease, butter, or lard for frying

DIRECTIONS:

1. Finely chop the scallions.
2. Shred the carrots. Dice the shredded carrots.
3. Crack the eggs into a bowl
4. Beat the eggs in a bowl with a spoon, or a fork, or a pair of chopsticks until the yolks and whites are blended together.
5. Stir in the vegetables.
6. Add a teaspoon of vegetable oil, bacon grease, or lard to a medium nonstick pan.
7. Use a napkin, paper towel, or spatula to evenly distribute the oil.
8. Continue to Preheat on medium to low heat. Once it’s hot two to three inches above the pan cooking can commence.
9. Add half of the egg mixture to the pan. Swirl it around the pan to cover the bottom of the pan.
10. Let this mixture cook until the top begins to set but still looks a bit wet.
11. Using your spatula, lift one end of the egg mixture and fold it about 1 1/2 inches over the other side.
12. Reduce the heat or raise the pan from the heat if the bottom has started to brown.
13. Lift the previously folded part again and folded over 1 1/2 inches again.
14. If your pan is small, pull the egg on the rolled side towards the edge of the pan in order to make room for more egg mixture. If you have a large pan this is unnecessary. Add the remaining half of the egg mixture in the open space you just created.
15. When the egg mixture you just added begins to set lift and fold again until it looks like a little egg burrito. It should be about 2 inches wide and the length of your pan.
16. Remove from the pan and let cool for five minutes. Slice the egg into thick even pieces.

TIPS:

• The Korean egg roll can be served hot or cold.
• It can be stored in the refrigerator for two to three days. Then it can be reheated in a microwave.
• The scallions and carrots can be substituted with diced onions, spinach, bacon bits, diced peppers, diced tomatoes, diced deli ham, diced deli turkey, diced mustard greens, and other vegetables or meats so long as they are diced very finely, and the total amount does not exceed 2 tablespoons per vegetable or meat.
• This is excellent for a special breakfast, for a take a long lunch, or to make breakfast for dinner.
• Condiments that would go with the Korean egg roll include tabasco sauce, salsa, sour cream, guacamole, ketchup, soy sauce, and honey mustard.
• The Korean egg roll can be placed in an airtight container, a zip lock bag, or vacuum sealed to freeze and reheat for later use. It makes an excellent quick meal on those busy nights.