Korean Street Toast with Ham

Korean Street Toast aka Gilgeori Toast. A delicious toasted egg omelet sandwich with cabbage, cheese, ham, ketchup and sugar.

Popularly sold by many Korean street-food vendors. It has become a worldwide sensation! A good breakfast that is filling and simple and is loved by many Koreans looking for a quick and affordable meal for on-the-go.

Popular Korean Street Food

Of all the Korean street foods in my lifetime, this Korean street sandwich was the very first time I was introduced to popular Korean street food! That buttery Korean toast with ham and lot of veggies in between made a mark in my food memories.

I often see this sandwich sold on a street cart in Korea and I'm sure it brings back old memories for those who would rely on these carts for a quick and cheap meal. This recipe is inspired by the Isaac sandwich sold by Isaac Toast - a Korean toast chain that focuses on selling variations of savory toast.

Easy to make!

My Korean Street toast recipe with cabbage and egg is easy to make and comes together in less than 10 minutes. You also don't need many ingredients either. The original gilgeori toast comes with carrots but we are skipping the carrots here to make this recipe speedy. It's a fantastic egg toast to eat on your way to work, for a picnic or for lunch!

What You’ll Need

You will need the below Korean street toast ingredients. ***Please scroll down to the below Recipe card for full measurements***

Eggs: for best taste go for free-run or free-range eggs with bright orange-yellow yolks.

Cabbage: We'll be using regular green cabbage and not napa cabbage. We want crunchy cabbage so the crunchy vegetables contrast in texture to the softer ingredients. The egg-to-vegetable ratio is key here! Not too much but not too little.

Cheddar cheese: A slice of cheese is a must in these egg sandwiches! You may sub for any cheese you enjoy and if you're vegan, feel free to sub with a vegan cheese.

White bread: Any white bread or even whole wheat bread will work. Traditionally, square shape milk bread is used. Many Asian bakeries will sell this kind of bread.

Ham: Thinly sliced ham is recommended for this recipe. But feel free to use what you like as well like turkey slices or bacon.

Unsalted butter: We will need a tablespoon of butter per sandwich that you make. Unsalted is best since the sandwich is pretty salty with the ham and ketchup.

Ketchup: One of my favorite condiments! But if you're not a fan of ketchup, feel free to replace it with mayo.

Sugar: This is the key ingredient to balancing out the salty flavors in this sandwich. Many Korean Street vendors will add some sugar for that sweet taste

Salt: pinch of salt will be needed to season the egg cabbage mixture.

Optional

Green onion or spring onion: I highly recommend adding this to the egg cabbage mixture.

How to make Korean street toast

***Please scroll down to the recipe card below to find full instructions and details***

1. In a large mixing bowl, add ½ cup shredded cabbage with egg and green onions. Season with salt. Mix until egg cabbage mixture is fully combined.
2. In a large skillet on medium low heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and evenly coat the pan with it. Place two bread slices into the pan and move them around to absorb the butter. Allow them to toast until golden brown on both sides of the bread. Remove and set aside.
3. In the same large pan over medium-high heat, add 1 teaspoon of butter and pour egg mixture. Shape veggie omelet into the shape of your bread. Fry your omelet on both sides until cooked.
4. Lower heat to low-medium. Place a slice of cheddar cheese on top of the omelet and let the cheese melt. Once melted, place each omelet with cheese on one of the slices of buttery toasted bread.
5. Over medium heat, heat ham slices until it’s hot. Once hot, place it over the cheesy omelet.
6. Squeeze ketchup and sprinkle sugar over the ham. Then place remaining shredded cabbage on top. Close the sandwich with the second slice of toast. Enjoy!

Cooking Tips for Korean Street Toast

• Use fresh ingredients. Especially the cabbage as it remains crunchier when fresher. The crunchy veggies bring your Korean toast to the next level!
• Shred the cabbage with a box grater or a vegetable peeler into thin strands. If you have a mandolin that’s a great way to thinly slice this veggie. If you don't own any of these kitchen tools, you can simply slice the cabbage on a cutting board using a sharp knife.
• Ketchup and sugar are a must in this sandwich. Although it's an unusual condiment combination, it helps to balance out the salty flavors in this sandwich.
• Use a large non-stick pan to ensure it fits the size of your sandwich bread.
• Toast your bread on the pan over low-medium heat and continue to monitor it until it’s golden brown, about 2-3 minutes. The butter will easily burn your bread so do not be tempted to increase the heat.
• Pre-mix your eggs, green onion, cabbage in a large glass measuring cup with a lip and mix with chopsticks. This will make things easier as you pour the egg vegetable mixture into the pan.
• Shape your omelet to fit the slices of bread. Use the edge of a spatula and the side of the skillet to help you achieve this.
• Only heat your ham – do not cook it, about 30-60 seconds. So, once you see that it’s browned on each side, remove immediately or it will dry out.

FAQ

What is Korean street toast?

It’s a sandwich made of toasted Asian-style bread which comes in a square shape. It’s toasted on a flat grill pan using butter. Then filled with an omelet made of regular cabbage, carrots, and green onions usually. Accompanied with ham or bacon, fresh cabbage, a slice of American cheese and seasoned with ketchup and sugar.

It’s a very popular Korean food sold on the streets of Korea. It's usually served in a paper cup or wrapped in a piece of parchment paper or aluminum foil.

What kind of bread can I use this recipe? 

Typically, a square like Asian style milk bread is used for this recipe but feel free to use any white or whole wheat bread you have in the kitchen.

May I use bacon instead?

Yes of course!

Can I omit the cheddar cheese?

Yes, absolutely if you are dairy-free.

Can I add black pepper to the egg cabbage mixture?

Yes!

Other Korean recipes you may like!

I also share other Korean street food recipes as per below:

KOREAN OMELETTE SANDWICH
MILD TTEOKBOKKI RICE CAKES
KOREAN EGG ROLL KIMBAP
KOREAN EGG BREAD
SHRIMP LEEK PANCAKE
KOREAN FRIED CHICKEN

I hope you give my Korean Street Toast a try and enjoy it!

If you enjoyed my Korean street style toast, please leave a star rating and share it with your family and friends or on social media! Take a picture of your re-creation and make sure to tag me @ChristieAtHome in your feed or stories as I would love to see it!

Christie

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