Korean Street Toast (Korean Breakfast)
Korean street toast is a popular Korean street food breakfast. This Korean sandwich is packed with egg, cabbage, carrot, ham, and cheese between slices of buttery toasted bread. It’s the salty and sweet taste from the unusual condiment combination that will make you swoon.
What is Korean Street Toast?
Known as Gilgeori toast (길거리 í† ìŠ¤íŠ¸) in Korean, it is an unusual toasted egg sandwich packed with shredded cabbage, carrot, and green onion cooked together in an egg batter, then layered with ham and cheese in between slices of buttered toasted bread.
It is a popular breakfast-on-the-go Korean street food that is often sold from a street kiosk or a franchise toast shop (Issac Toast). You will see many local Koreans eating this as they are walking to their office or waiting at the bus stop – a common weekday morning scene of a Korean street.
What makes this Korean toast recipe so unusual is the combination of condiments to flavor the sandwich – sugar (or jam) and ketchup! I know it sounds weird to use them together in a sandwich, especially accompanied by an egg omelette, but it tastes amazing with crunchy vegetables, ham, and cheese on the buttery toasted breads. Salty and sweet!
Who would have thought this odd Korean sandwich would become a worldwide sensation that everyone wants to make at home? This Korean street toast recipe is something you should try yourself to believe that it is not as bad as it sounds.
In fact, it is actually pretty darn good for a breakfast with all the nutrition included! Besides, it is very easy and fairly quick to make.
Ingredients you’ll need
- butter – Korean street vendors use margarine, but I like butter better.
- eggs – 1 egg per sandwich
- cabbage – finely shredded
- carrot – finely shredded
- green onion – optional but recommend
- deli ham slices – any deli slices would work
- cheddar cheese slices – or other meltable cheese of your choice
- granulated sugar – or any fruit jam
- ketchup – must included condiment for this recipe for Korean street toast
- sandwich bread – white bread preferred.
How to make Korean street toast
Shred cabbage and carrot very thinly using a vegetable peeler.
Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl and add the shredded cabbage, carrot, green onion, and a pinch of salt; mix well.
Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a skillet over medium low heat. (I use a stick of butter to touch the skillet directly).
Spoon in a portion of egg and vegetable mixture, and spread it around to about the size of your sandwich bread. (You can make two egg pieces at a time)
Cook the egg omelettes 2-3 minutes on one side and flip. Cook until golden brown. Transfer the omelette to a plate and repeat the next batch.
Heat ham slices briefly, about 30-60 seconds; set aside.
Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and toast the sandwich bread until golden and crisp.
To assemble Korean Egg Sandwich
- Put a piece of egg omelet on the toast. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoon of sugar (or however much you desire).
- Squirt some ketchup on top.
- Place a slice of ham and a cheese on top and top with the another toasted bread.
- If you like your toast crunchier, add shredded cabbage between the layers of the condiments and ham.
How to eat Korean street toast
Typically, Korean street vendors wrap their toast in foil and stick it in a paper cup to hold in shape. You can eat it as a regular sandwich without any wrapping. Or use a piece of parchment paper to wrap as you would pack your sandwich to go.
You will want to eat this buttery Korean toast right away while they are hot to enjoy all the goodness.
More Korean Street Food Recipes
Here are some of the most popular and easy Korean street food recipes that you can make at home.
- Best Tteokbokki Recipe (Spicy Korean Rice Cakes)
- Korean Fried Seaweed Rolls (Gimmari)
- Hotteok Recipe (Korean Sweet Pancake)
- Rice Cake Skewers, Tteok Kkochi (떡꼬치)
- Mini Seaweed Rice Rolls (Mayak Gimbap or Kimbap)
Korean Street Toast (Korean Breakfast)
Ingredients
- 1/4 cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1/2 carrot, thinly shredded
- 1 green onion, chopped
- 4 eggs
- a pinch salt
- 4 tbsp butter
- 3 tbsp sugar
- 4 tbsp ketchup
- 4 slices deli ham
- 8 slices sandwich bread
Equipment
Instructions
- Beat eggs in a large mixing bowl and add the shredded cabbage, carrot, green onion, and a pinch of salt; mix well.
- Melt 1 tablespoon of butter on a skillet over medium low heat. Spoon in a portion of egg and vegetable mixture, and spread it around to about the size of your sandwich bread. (You can make two egg pieces at a time)
- Cook the egg omelette 2-3 minutes on one side and flip. Cook until golden brown. Transfer the omelette to a plate and repeat the next batch.
- Heat ham slices briefly, about 30-60 seconds; set aside.
- Melt remaining tablespoon of butter and toast the sandwich bread until golden and crisp.
To assemble the toast
- Put a piece of egg omelet on the toast. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoon of sugar (or however much you desire), and squirt some ketchup on top. Place a slice of ham and a cheese on top and top with the another toasted bread.
- If you like your toast crunchier, add shredded cabbage between the layers of the condiments and ham.
Is the sugar necessary? I see in the recipe you wrote jam as a substitute. Which flavor works best here?Â
Hi Joan
You can use jam instead of sugar. Some people likes jam but I prefer sugar since it adds crunchiness to the bite. You can try both when you make these toasts. Love to know which one you like it better with.
Thanks.