Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast 길거리 토스트)

Korean Street Toast is a grilled egg omelette sandwich filled with crunchy veggies and cheese.  It’s a wonderful medley of flavors – buttery, savory, crunchy and even is a bit salty and sweet. It also has great chewy and crunchy texture in addition to the gooey melted cheese so it’s bound to satisfy all your cravings!

This Korean Street Toast was most popular when I was in college, it was a hearty and filling toast that people will get it from the street vendors on their way to work or school. I didn’t get to have it too many times though because, for some reason, this was not a food that many girls ate on the street. Usually, only men ate these. I guess the sandwich was too hearty for dainty girls.. lol..

Also, it didn’t help that I was a very shy girl (I’m still shy and is the reason why I don’t like to show my face on pictures or videos) back then and I just couldn’t get myself to go near the street cart to buy the sandwich. And even if I had the courage to buy it, how would I eat it on the street?

I probably missed a lot of yummy street food because of my shyness.. haha..

In Korean, this is called Gilgeori Toast (길거리 토스트), this filling and flavorful breakfast sandwich has mostly disappeared for the last 20 some years and have now become popular again. But of course, with a modern twist – like adding mozzarella cheese (which was very scarce when I was in college). Now, Koreans love to add mozzarella cheese to just about everything from tteokbokki to hotteok.

Anyway, this came to mind because I was trying to think of something that would go well with Dalgona Coffee which has been the latest craze in this tough time of isolation with so many being confined in their homes. I look forward to the day when all this will be in the past and just a memory.

Why is my Korean Street Toast simply the best?

Ratio of the egg to bread is important – Because I am kind of late in posting this recipe, I decided to try some of the popular recipes out there. Some recipes use 1 egg instead of 2 – tried that, while it’s nice and light, I find it a little too uninteresting.

Some recipes make 2 sandwiches with 2 eggs (so you would be making 2 sandwiches instead of 1 using my recipe below), while that’s still good and you can do this if you want to lower your calorie, there is a clear difference in taste. Initially, I thought 2 eggs is too much but I found that if you use 1 egg – the ratio of egg to bread is off. Too much bread.

If you want to use just 1 egg (1/2 my recipe), I would recommend making it an open sandwich so you have less bread. Hence, that’s why I think you see some street vendors using 1 piece of bread and folding it in half to make like a taco.

Ratio of veggies to egg – my recipe uses more veggies per egg than most but this is something you may want to play with. I think my ratio of 3 oz veggies to 2 eggs is perfect but you can adjust to taste.

FAQ on How to make Korean Street Toast

• Should I use margarine or butter? How about olive oil? The original Gilgeori Toast from my younger days uses margarine because that was cheaper and more readily available in those times. Margarine does have a milder and less salty taste so some swear by it. I don’t eat margarine so I made it with butter and I think it’s delicious. If you want to avoid both, you can certainly use vegetable or olive oil to make the toast.
• Do I need to add sugar? Sugar is what makes this toast unique – so do try it with the sugar. While some recipes will use up to 1 Tbs of sugar, I find 1 tsp is the minimum and can increase to 2 tsp if you like it.
• What type of bread works best? Korean Milk Bread (here’s my recipe!) works best! Or any soft white or wheat bread works great too.
• Can I omit carrots? What about other vegetables? Mild tasting vegetables with good texture will work best. You can omit carrots but cabbages and green onions are what give this toast its unique flavor. You can also add onions if you like.
• Jam vs Mayonnaise vs Ketchup for sauce? You probably have seen recipes that use Jam, some use ketchup, some use mayonnaise or maybe all of it. What should you use? It’s pretty much up to you but in my opinion, either jam + mayo or mayo + ketchup combination works best. All of it together kind of muddles the flavor.
• What kind of cheese should I use for Korean Toast? Or do I need cheese? You don’t need to add cheese but I think it makes it yummy. Classic Korean toast versions used American cheese singles but I used a Tillamook medium cheddar slices which have a similar mild flavor with better ingredients. Or you can use mozzarella cheese or other mild-flavored cheese.

Variations and Tips

• Make a Jam and Mayo version – instead of ketchup, you can spread strawberry or grape jelly on one side of the toast and make the rest the same as above.
• Add ham, spam or bacon if you are a meat lover.
• Cheese  – some street carts make it with mozzarella cheese, use mozzarella cheese instead of cheddar or try other cheeses
• More veggies – in addition to the veggies in the egg, make a fresh coleslaw kind of salad with cabbage, carrots and green onions tossed in Mayo+Ketchup dressing (4 tsp mayo + 1/2 tsp ketchup) and add this on top of your egg.
• Make two open-faced sandwiches instead of one for a lower calorie version by adding just one piece of egg to one slice of bread with the condiments.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Servings: 1 sandwich            Cooking Time: 20 min                Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients

• bread, eggs, cabbage, carrots, green onions, ham, butter, sugar, ketchup, mayo, salt and pepper (and cheese which is missing!)

1. Slice cabbages thinly (or use a cabbage slaw mix), julienne carrots and cut green onions at an angle. You can just chop green onions but I like to slice it longer so you have more of a chew. See picture above. Set aside.
2. If adding ham, slice ham into strips.

1. Pour egg mixture from 3 onto the heated, buttered pan – when adding to the pan, pour onto the middle of the pan, starting from one edge to the other edge (forming a wide strip) – to make a rectangle. The width of the rectangle should be similar size to your bread. Some of the egg mix will flow out to the side of the pan – when that happens, just quickly push all the egg mix back into the center to keep the rectangle shape. See picture.
2. As the egg is cooking, using a spatula cut through the center of the egg omelet so it becomes 2 squares – each square should be about the size of your bread.
3. Lower the heat to medium-low and wait 2-3 minutes until most of the egg is cooked and no longer runny. Turn it over. It should be slightly browned. Cook other side until lightly browned too. Remove from heat and set aside.

1. Squeeze some ketchup (or jam) onto one toast (on top of sugar).
2. Add one egg omelette on top of 1.
3. Add a slice of cheese and spread some mayonnaise on top.
4. Add another egg omelette on top of 3.
5. Optionally, add another slice of cheese and spread some mayonnaise + ketchup mixture (like I have in picture) or just spread a little bit of ketchup and mayonnaise separately instead.
6. Turn the cheese over so the mayo+ketchup mix doesn’t make the bread soggy.

I decided to add some pretty flowers to the last picture of Korean Street Toast – just to make things more cheerful!! We certainly can use some ‘happy and pretty’ now..right??😍

Well, I hope this toast will add some happy 😊to your day, let’s all hang in there~

Stay healthy and safe everyone!

XOXO ❤️❤️,

JinJoo

How to make Korean Street Toast with Narrationn (6min)

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5 from 9 votes

Korean Street Toast Sandwich with Egg

Korean Street Toast made with egg, veggies and cheese. Simple ingredients but the result is an amazing sandwich full of different flavors and textures. Great for breakfast or brunch!

Prep: 10 minutes minutes

Cook: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

serves: 1

Ingredients

• ▢ 1.5 Tbsp butter (or margarine or olive oil – 1 Tbsp for bread, 1/2 Tbsp for omelette. also can use unsalted)
• ▢ 2 white bread (or Korean milk bread) slices
• ▢ 1 tsp sugar (or sugar substitute)

Egg Omelette

• ▢ 2 eggs
• ▢ 3 oz cabbage (sliced thin, 3 oz is about 1 cup)
• ▢ 1/4 each carrot (julienned)
• ▢ 2 green onions
• ▢ 1/8 tsp salt
• ▢ 1 pinch of ground black pepper

Condiments and Cheese

• ▢ 2 tsp ketchup
• ▢ 1 Tbsp mayonnaise
• ▢ 2 cheddar cheese slice (optional)

US Customary – Metric

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Prepare Vegetables and Ham

• Slice cabbages thinly (or use a cabbage slaw mix), julienne carrots and cut green onions at an angle. You can just chop green onions but I like to slice it longer so you have more of a chew. See picture above. Set aside.
• If adding ham, slice ham into strips. (optional)
• In a bowl, add all the veggies, ham and eggs. Mix everything with a fork. Season with salt and pepper. Mix again and set aside.

Make Butter Toast –

• Coat bread slices with butter and brown both sides on a frying pan. For beginner cooks, you can read below on how to make butter toast. Others, skip to 5.
• Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium-low heat. Melt 1/2 of butter in the pan. Lift up the pan and swirl it around so the butter gets melted and distributed and not brown.
• As soon as the butter is melted, add bread slices to the pan. Let the bread absorb all the butter by wiping the pan with the bread slices.
• Add the remaining butter and as it melts, turn the bread over so the other side of the bread absorbs the butter. ** Note, the bread is not yet browned, we are just basically coating the bread with the melted butter on both sides first. Alternatively, if you have room temperature soft butter, you can spread the butter evenly on both sides of the bread and toast.
• Toast bread slices in the pan until they are nicely browned on both sides.
• Remove toasts onto a plate and sprinkle sugar on each. About 1/2 tsp for each slice.

Make Egg Omelette –

• Melt some butter or oil in the same frying pan again on medium heat.  About 1.5 to 2 tsp butter or vegetable oil (per one side of bread). Until butter is all melted or oil (if using oil) is heated and moves around freely like water.
• Pour egg mixture from 3 onto the heated, buttered pan – when adding to the pan, pour onto the middle of the pan, starting from one edge to the other edge (forming a wide strip) – to make a rectangle. The width of the rectangle should be similar size to your bread. Some of the egg mix will flow out to the side of the pan – when that happens, just quickly push all the egg mix back into the center to keep the rectangle shape. See picture.
• As the egg is cooking, using a spatula cut through the center of the egg omelet so it becomes 2 squares – each square should be about the size of your bread.
• Lower the heat to medium-low and wait until most of the egg is cooked and no longer runny. Turn it over. It should be slightly browned. Cook other side until lightly browned too. Remove from heat and set aside.

How to assemble Korean Street Toast –

• Squeeze some ketchup (or jam) onto one toast (on top of sprinkled sugar).
• Add one egg omelette on top of ketchup.
• Add a slice of cheese and spread some mayonnaise on top.
• Add another egg omelette on top of cheese with mayo.
• Optionally, add another slice of cheese and spread more mayonnaise + ketchup mixture (like I have in picture) or just squeeze a little bit of ketchup and mayonnaise separately instead.
• Turn the cheese over so the mayo+ketchup mix doesn’t make the bread soggy.
• Top it with remaining slice of bread with the sugared side down. And that's it!

Equipment

• non-stick frying pan
• mixing bowl

Tips & Notes:

• Should I use margarine or butter? How about olive oil? The original Gilgeori Toast uses margarine . I don’t eat margarine so I made it with butter. You can certainly substitute vegetable or olive oil to make a healthier toast or use unsalted butter.
• What type of bread works best?  Korean milk bread or soft white bread does work best for this recipe but wheat bread is also good. Here’s my recipe for milk bread if you want to make it at home.
• Can I omit carrots? You can omit carrots but cabbages and green onions are what give this toast its unique flavor. You can also add onions if you like.
• Jam vs Mayonnaise vs Ketchup for sauce? You probably have seen recipes that use Jam, some use ketchup, some use mayonnaise or maybe all of it. What should you use? It’s pretty much up to you but in my opinion, either jam + mayo or mayo + ketchup combination works best. 
• What kind of cheese should I use for Korean Toast? Mild cheese will work best. I used a Tillamook medium cheddar slices in this post. Or mozzarella cheese will work fine too.
• Add slices of ham, spam or bacon if you are a meat lover.

 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 561kcal (28%)| Carbohydrates: 39g (13%)| Protein: 18g (36%)| Fat: 38g (58%)| Saturated Fat: 16g (100%)| Cholesterol: 378mg (126%)| Sodium: 857mg (37%)| Potassium: 390mg (11%)| Fiber: 4g (17%)| Sugar: 13g (14%)| Vitamin A: 1374IU (27%)| Vitamin C: 36mg (44%)| Calcium: 231mg (23%)| Iron: 4mg (22%)

Author: JinJoo Lee

Course:Breakfast

Cuisine:Koreanfusion

Keyword:sandwich, snack, street food, toast

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