Gochugaru Chili Oil Eggs

These eggs are the kind of thing you make once and then crave every weekend. A sizzling pool of gochugaru chili oil hits the pan, eggs crack right into it, and the whites puff and crisp at the edges while the yolk stays just barely set. Spoon everything over rice or toast, hit it with a little sesame, and you have a meal that looks like it took real effort but comes together in about fifteen minutes. The chili oil does most of the heavy lifting here. Get the gochugaru right and everything else follows.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Jasmine rice, rinsed until water runs clear
  • 2½ cups Water
  • 6 tbsp Neutral oil
  • 3 tbsp Gochugaru (Korean red pepper flakes)
  • 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
  • 4 cloves Garlic, minced
  • 1-inch piece Fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 2 tbsp Coconut aminos
  • 1 tsp Rice vinegar
  • 5 Large eggs
  • 3 Scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1 tbsp Toasted sesame seeds
  • to taste Flaky sea salt
  • 1 tsp Margarine

Instructions

  1. Rinse 2 cups (380 g) jasmine rice in cold water, swishing with your hand until the water runs mostly clear, about 3 or 4 rinses. Add the rinsed rice and 2½ cups (600 ml) water to your rice cooker and start it on the standard white-rice setting. It will take care of itself from here.
  2. While the rice gets going, mince 4 cloves garlic as fine as you can manage. Set aside on a small plate.
  3. Peel and finely grate a 1-inch (2.5 cm) piece of fresh ginger, a microplane or the fine side of a box grater works great. Add it to the plate with the garlic.
  4. Thinly slice 3 scallions, keeping the white and light-green parts separate from the darker tops if you want a clean garnish. Set aside.
  5. Now make the chili oil base. Pour 6 tbsp (90 ml) neutral oil into a small saucepan and set it over medium heat. After about 2 minutes the oil will start to shimmer and move fluidly when you tilt the pan. Add the 4 cloves garlic, minced and the 1-inch piece of ginger, grated and fry them, stirring constantly, for about 60 seconds. You want the garlic fragrant and very lightly golden, pull it just before you think it's ready.
  6. Remove the saucepan from the heat and immediately stir in 3 tbsp (24 g) gochugaru. The residual heat will bloom the chili flakes without burning them. Stir for about 20 seconds, then add 1 tbsp (15 ml) toasted sesame oil, 2 tbsp (30 ml) coconut aminos, and 1 tsp (5 ml) rice vinegar. Stir to combine. The chili oil is ready. Taste it on a spoon and adjust with a pinch of salt if needed.
  7. Heat your cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat for about 2 minutes until it is properly hot. Spoon about 1 tbsp of the chili oil into the pan and let it heat for 20 seconds until it shimmers. Crack 1 large egg carefully into the pan. The white should sizzle immediately on contact and start going opaque and lacy at the edges within about 30 seconds. Cook until the white is fully set with edges going brown and slightly crisp, about 2 minutes, and the yolk is still glossy and slightly jiggly. Season with a pinch of flaky sea salt. Transfer to a warm bowl and repeat for all 5 eggs, adding a little more chili oil to the pan before each one.
  8. When the rice cooker finishes, fluff the rice with a fork or rice paddle. If you want extra richness, stir in 1 tsp (5 g) margarine now. Spoon the rice into 5 bowls.
  9. Set a fried egg on top of the rice in each bowl. Spoon the remaining chili oil generously over the eggs and rice. Finish each bowl with a scatter of thinly sliced scallions and a sprinkle of 1 tbsp (9 g) toasted sesame seeds split across all five. Serve immediately while the eggs are still hot.