Korean Egg Roll (Gyeran Mari) is a very easy and simple side dish that is a favorite in lunchboxes. It is wonderfully soft, fluffy, savory and mild, tasting very similar to an omelet but a little firmer and chewier. And the addition of green onions makes it a perfect banchan in a Korean meal. All in less than 20 minutes!
Korean Egg Roll is probably one banchan that a beginner Korean home cook will most likely learn to make first before anything else.. well, maybe other than cooking instant ramen 😝. And I’m so sorry that I’m so late in bringing this to you.
At the beginning of my blogging years, I didn’t post it because I thought that it’s so simple to make and doubted whether it even needed a recipe?? But now, I know better. What’s simple to me may not be so simple to someone who has never seen it made before.
Btw, this Korean egg roll is a great last-minute side dish to make for any Korean meal because it goes with any dish (especially well with strongly seasoned dish like spicy kimchi jjigae and fish jorim) and can be made easily with very few ingredients.
It is most often served at room temperature as a side dish to meals and is especially popular in Dosirak (lunchboxes) but can be great as snacks and also as anju (food that goes well with alcoholic drinks). Cheese Egg Roll is especially popular among young people, at indoor Pojangmachas 포장마차 (small street vendors) these days.
About Gyeran Mari
Gyeran 계란 means ‘egg’ and Mari 말이 means ‘to roll or rolled’. So I’m calling it Egg Roll..another name for it is Dalgyal Mari 달걀말이. Gyeran has its roots in Hanja (Chinese characters) while Dalgyal is a pure Korean word based on Hangeul.
GyeranMari is made with beaten eggs and added ingredients like green onion, carrots and gim (seaweed) that’s cooked in a thin layer in a frying pan and then rolled up until it forms a log.
Gyeran Mari vs Tamagoyaki, what’s the difference?
History books date this wonderful creation as far back as Joseon Dynasty. You may know a similar Japanese egg roll called Tamagoyaki. It may look similar but there’s quite a bit of difference in taste.
Korean versions are savory and the base is made with just egg or egg + water. The Japanese version is usually sweet (at least the ones you see at most US restaurants) and in that version, egg is mixed with fish broth, soy sauce, mirin and sugar. This is yummy too but just tastes different from the Korean version. And Korean versions often have variations of different ingredients added.
How to make Korean Egg Roll (3 ways) – Gluten Free
- Prepare ingredients to add to your Gyeran Mari.
- For basic green onion version, just chop green onions. About 1 green onion for 2-3 eggs.
- For carrots + ham – chop carrots and ham finely. 1 Tbs each for 2-3 eggs.
- For seaweed – get 1 sheat of Gimbap Gim (unroasted seaweed for Gimbap or Nori for Sushi) and cut to fit the full size of your frying pan. See picture below or See my video.
- In a bowl, beat eggs. Use chopsticks or fork – don’t’ make beat till foamy but just well broken up with no lumps.
- To beaten eggs, add water, salt (and optionally sugar). Add your prepped ingredients from 1. Stir well.
- Heat a non-stick frying pan on Medium Low heat. Add a little swirl of oil and quickly wipe with a fold paper towel to absorb excess oil. Basically, you don’t want to see any oil that’s pooled but just a good coating of oil on the pan.
Steps for cooking and making egg roll in frying pan
Finished Korean Egg Rolls (Gyeran Mari) - Pour about 1 full cup of egg mixture to a 10 inch frying pan. Immediately lift the pan and swirl it around to make sure it covers the whole pan evenly.
- LOWER heat to low. Wait patiently (about 2-3 minutes) until the edges are cooked and some parts are beginning to get cooked. And not so watery.
- TURN HEAT OFF (to prevent it from cooking too much). Then start rolling one edge with a spatula or use 2 spatulas – just like you are rolling a blanket or sleeping bag. Kind of tightly but very gently and delicately.
- Continue to roll but don’t roll all the way. Leave a little part unrolled so you can continue to add more eggs and continue the roll. Basically stop rolling when you are starting to reach the end where if you roll one more time, you would finish rolling. See my video to see how.
- Now, move the egg roll to one edge of the pan, clearing out major area of the pan. Coat the pan lightly with oil by either using a paper towel dabbed in oil or use a pastry brush.
Raw egg batter poured into pan with partially rolled Gyeran Mari - Turn heat on to LOW. Pour another cup of egg mix onto the pan BUT (IMPORTANT!!) start pouring the egg in the area of the unrolled egg. So that the newly added uncooked egg mix will merge and stick to the unrolled, not yet fully cooked part and the egg roll can continue. See picture above.
- Repeat steps 6-10 until all egg mix is poured and rolled.
- Turn heat back up to Medium and brown the 4 edges of the egg roll omelette so it gets nicely browned and also it gets a nice rectangular bar shape. Also this makes sure it’s cooked all the way through.
Finished Korean Egg Rolls (Gyeran Mari) - Transfer to a cutting board and let it cool for a couple of minutes then cut into 1 inch thick slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Korean Egg Roll Closeup
Chef’s Tips with 4 more Gyeran Mari Variations
- Use right size pan for the job to make life easier – 3 eggs -> 8 inch frying pan OR 5 eggs -> 10 inch frying pan
- Don’t add too much oil to the pan. Having too much oil will not make an even and smooth egg roll.
- Season fully with salt and add a bit more salt if you are going to serve with other salty dishes because it may taste bland in comparison.
- Swirl egg batter before scooping out the egg from bowl onto the pan, so you get an even mixture of the stuffing ingredients in your pour.
- Be patient and don’t roll too early. Wait until the egg is partially cooked before you start to roll. If you roll before the egg is set, the raw egg mix will leak out to the sides and kind of make a mess.
- Don’t panic and Turn heat OFF – Also, don’t be afraid to turn OFF the heat at any time if you need more time. You can always continue cooking when you are ready.
- Why do you add water? I add water because it makes the omelet more fluffy and light. You can make it without water, it will be more densely flavored. Some like to add milk instead and that’s up to you.
- Other variations
- artificial crab meat – with the seaweed, add pieces of gyematssal 게맛살 (crabmeat). see my picture
- cheesy version – in addition to ham, carrots, onions, you can also add a slice of American cheese or just add cheese only
- myeongranjeot 명란젓(salted pollock roe) and green onions is another classic combo. just chop up the roe and add to egg mixture.
- herbal – add thyme, sage, mint, onions, green onions and red chili peppers then season with salt and pepper. Makes a very herbaceous and ever so slightly sweet version.
- Leftovers – store in fridge for a few days. Eat it cold from the fridge or reheat in microwave or pan fry on low heat.
And there you go! Be sure to watch my video to learn how I make it because this is one time it was really hard to explain in words.
Korean Egg Roll (Gyeran Mari)
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1/4 tsp fine salt (Trader Joe's Sea Salt)
- 2 Tbsp green onions (chopped (1 Tbsp = 1 green onion))
Optional Additional Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp carrots (chopped)
- 2 Tbsp ham (chopped)
Instructions
- Chop green onions and optionally ham and carrots. Carrots should be very finely chopped because if it's too big, it may not get fully cooked. If adding seaweed, get 1 sheet of Gimbap Gim (nori) and cut into a rectangle to fit most of the pan.
- Beat eggs in a bowl using chopsticks or fork. If using a whisk, be careful not to overbeat and make it foamy.
- In the bowl with eggs, add water, salt (optionally a little sugar 1/4 tsp) and then chopped ingredients. Stir well.
How to make Korean egg roll
- Heat a 10-inch frying pan on Medium-Low Heat.
- Add a little vegetable oil (just a little swirl) and roughly wipe with a paper towel so there's just a think coating of oil in the pan.
- Pour about 1 cup of the egg mixture onto the frying pan. Swirl the pan around so egg is evenly distributed throughout. Wait 2-3 minutes until the edges are cooked and parts of the center are just starting to cook.
- Lower heat to low. Wait patiently (about 2-3 minutes) until the edges are cooked and some parts are beginning to get cooked. And not so watery.
- Turn Heat Off. With a spatula, start rolling one edge of the egg sheet.
- Continue to roll but don't roll all the way. Leave a little part unrolled so you can continue to add more eggs and continue the roll. Basically stop rolling when you are starting to reach the end where if you roll one more time, you will finish the roll. See my video to see how.
- Move the egg roll to one side of the pan, clearing out a major area of the pan. Coat this cleared area of the pan lightly with oil by either using a paper towel dabbed in oil or use a pastry brush.
- Turn Heat back on to LOW. Pour another cup of egg mix onto the pan BUT (IMPORTANT!!) start pouring the egg in the area of the unrolled egg. So that the newly added uncooked egg mix will merge and stick to the unrolled, not yet fully cooked part and the egg roll can continue. See picture above.
- Repeat steps 4 - 8 until all egg mix is poured and rolled.
- Raise heat to medium and continue cooking the egg roll (gyeran mari) on all sides to brown them and to get a nice rectangular bar shape. Also to make sure gyeran mari is cooked all the way through. Don't overcook since that will make it tough.
- Transfer egg roll to a cutting board and let it cool for couple minutes then cut into 3/4 inch thick slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Equipment
- 10 inch non-stick frying pan
- mixing bowl
Tips & Notes:
- Use right size pan for the job to make life easier - 3 eggs -> 8 inch frying pan OR 5 eggs -> 10 inch frying pan
- Don't add too much oil to the pan. Having too much oil will not make an even and smooth egg roll.
- Be patient and don't roll too early. Wait until the egg is partially cooked before you start to roll. If you roll before the egg is set, the raw egg mix will leak out to the sides and kind of make a mess.
- Don't panic and Turn heat OFF - Also, don't be afraid to turn OFF the heat at any time if you need more time. You can always continue cooking when you are ready.
- Other variations
- seaweed - use seaweed used for gimbap (aka nori) - see video
- artificial crab meat - with the seaweed, add pieces of gyematssal 게맛살 (crabmeat). see my picture
- cheesy version - in addition to ham, carrots, onions, you can also add a slice of American cheese or just add cheese only
- myeongranjeot 명란젓(salted pollock roe) and green onions is another classic combo. just chop up the roe and add to egg mixture.
- herbal - add thyme, sage, mint, onions, green onions and red chili peppers then season with salt and pepper. Makes a very herbaceous and ever so slightly sweet version.
- Leftovers - store in fridge for a few days. Eat it cold from the fridge or reheat in microwave or pan fry on low heat.
Nutrition Information:
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Thankyou your recipes are giving me the confidence to try take on korean meals, as i love the flavours and the healthy vegetables every day.
That’s exactly what I want to hear! I hope to make more vegetable dishes in the future. Hope you subscribed to my newsletter! Thank you
These were genuinely delicious. Instructions were perfect. My kids loved them. The only issue I had was with my pan – which is not nonstick. So rolling was difficult, but I’m going to try my electric griddle next time which I think has a much better surface. This was GREAT for my daughter’s lunch today. I paired it with a small salad and some fresh cut pineapple. Healthy and delicious!
Yay!!! So happy to hear that – I remember how happy it made me when my daughter would come home and say she enjoyed her lunch. Thank you so much for sharing your kind feedback. Have a great day!
This Korean egg roll was great! Thank you for sharing, I learned a new recipe and a new technique! I put carrot and green onion in mine and served with a sauce I threw together, very delicious and I loved making something I could practice my chopstick skills on! 🙂 I’m going to try your milk bread today!
Hello Cammie, so glad you enjoyed the egg roll!! I hope you like the milk great too – I haven’t heard any negative comments about it so far so hopefully it turns out well for you too. Thank you!
sorry but i dont see any video? where is it to find? 🙂
If you scroll all the way to the bottom, right above the recipe card, you should see the video?
Decided to make this for breakfast, because I wanted to eat some kimchi with my eggs. I am a very experienced cook in American, French and Chinese cuisines, but fairly inexperienced with Korean, with the exception of a few basic recipes. I had carrots and green onions and carrots on hand so that is what I used. it looked beautiful and tasted great. Because of the video, I found the proper technique easy and was very pleased with my results. I will add this recipe to my repertoire.
Thank you Dave for the great feedback and so glad to hear that my video helped! Sometimes I wonder if what I’m doing is actually helpful.. Cheers!