Not the Mayak Eggs, But Ganjang Gyeran-Jang

Although this delicious soy sauce-based brine can certainly be used to make the once-viral Mayak Eggs, I prefer the eggs for this particular banchan fully cooked rather than jammy. Partly out of familiarity from childhood and partly for food safety, fully cooked eggs keep longer in the refrigerator. Typically, jammy-yolk eggs are good for two to three days, while fully cooked eggs are safe for four to five days.

INGREDIENTS

six eggs

three celery sticks, cut in thirds

[for the soy sauce-based brine]

five Thai chilies, sliced

four garlic cloves, peeled and roughly chopped

two green onions, finely chopped

a half cup of soy sauce

one and a half tablespoons of sugar

a tablespoon of sesame oil

three-quarters of a teaspoon of honey

For perfectly boiled eggs, place the eggs in a pot with plenty of room at the bottom. Do not stack the eggs. Add enough room-temperature water to submerge the eggs and a handful of salt to clog leakage in case shells crack.

All ceramic bowls were wheel-thrown and glazed by me.

Bring the water to a boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn off the heat and let the eggs sit for 12 minutes. Drain the water and place the eggs under cold running water for two to three minutes. Let the eggs cool while you prepare the brine.

Mix all the ingredients for the brine with a half cup of water and set it aside. Once the eggs are cool enough to touch, peel the shells and place the eggs and celery sticks in the brine. Cover and refrigerate for at least 12 hours, or 24 hours for the best flavor, before serving.

Don't discard the celery sticks. They absorb the brine beautifully and are delicious alongside the eggs.

_____

More recipes:

The Egg Salad Sandwich

Carrot et Celery Ribbon Salad

Seafood Jajang Deopbap

Quick Fire Stir-Fry Beef

Korean Gal's Guatemalan Red Beans with Pork Spare Ribs

ESSAYS | RECIPES | STYLES | IG

Articles sélectionnés

I earn commission on qualified purchases.

Comments

Scallops with Cucumber Salad

Summer without cucumbers is like summer without shorts. Unthinkable. Crisp and cooling, cucumbers are indispensable when the heat sets in. While I love them tucked into an icy bowl of naengmyeon, they’re equally persuasive in a quick salad that refreshes without effort. Paired with scallops, they make a meal that feels considered without demanding much time at the stove. This is the kind of dish that understands restraint: clean flavors, minimal heat, and just enough acidity to keep everything awake. INGREDIENTS [serves 2 as a main course] six large scallops half of an English cucumber, thinly sliced one-quarter of red onion, thinly sliced four basil leaves zest and juice from one lemon one twig of French thyme one garlic clove, chopped one-third of a cup of white wine vinegar two tablespoons brown sugar a light pinch of sea salt a sliver of unsalted butter In a bowl, mix the white wine vinegar and brown sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the cucumber, red onion, basil leaves, an...

French Green Bean Casserole

No entrée stands alone. Even the most confident main course benefits from a supporting act that knows how to hold its own without clamoring for attention. The green bean casserole, in its most American form, is often nostalgic, sometimes heavy, rarely subtle. This version leans elsewhere. French green beans retain their snap. Gruyère and crème fraîche lend quiet luxury. Pancetta and shiitake deepen the room. It is familiar, yes — but composed, deliberate, and just decadent enough to feel dressed for the occasion. Served with turkey roast INGREDIENTS [serves 4 as a side dish] eight ounces of French green beans, trimmed one shallot, diced two celery stalks, sliced three ounces of shiitake mushrooms, sliced a quarter pound of Gruyère, grated two ounces of pancetta, small cubes two tablespoons of butter, melted one cup of panko a quarter cup of heavy whipping cream six ounces of crème fraîche Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a pot of water, enough to cover the beans, to a boil. Boil the ...

Haemul Pajeon, Korean Seafood Green Onion Pancake

Whoever coined the phrase “bigger is better” clearly never consulted a five-foot-three-inch woman. I have long maintained that fabulousity often comes in small packages. There are exceptions, of course, and Haemul Pajeon, the Korean Seafood Green Onion Pancake, makes a rather delicious case for abandoning my principles. When it comes to this Korean favorite, thickness is everything. Packed with shrimp, squid, green onions, zucchini, and yellow onions, these savory pancakes are a glorious celebration of excess, at least where ingredients are concerned. While many recipes favor thinner pancakes or arrange the ingredients neatly on top, there is a reason the thicker, generously stuffed versions served at Korean restaurants have gone viral. With their crisp, deeply browned exteriors giving way to tender, seafood-packed interiors, they deliver a combination of flavor and texture that thinner versions simply cannot match. Sometimes, bigger really is better. Or, in this case, thicker. INGREDI...

The Art of Calabrian Chicken

I spent yesterday afternoon at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art. Newly opened last month after years of anticipation, it was a visit I approached with some hesitation. My disappointment with LACMA's David Geffen Galleries earlier this year had yet to settle. I felt as though I had wandered into a fabulous space where art and artifacts had been arranged without much intention, without stories to tell, rather like an art fair with booths. I carried that impression with me as I prepared to visit the Lucas Museum. After the Prom by Norman Rockwell I knew I would be mesmerized by its architecture. What surprised me was the storytelling within. I hadn't expected Norman Rockwell's gallery to captivate me quite as much as it did. There was something profoundly beautiful about the smallness of life he portrayed, the ordinary moments of family, childhood, and everyday rituals elevated into something worthy of our attention. Rockwell's America was often idealized, certainly, bu...

Samgyetang, aka Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup

Healthy. That is the best word to describe Samgyetang, Korean Ginseng Chicken Soup, made with ginseng, daechu (Korean jujubes), leeks, and asatsuki (Japanese chives). While I didn’t appreciate this Korean chicken soup as a child, my appreciation for its soulful flavor and power-boosting health benefits has grown over the years. Before I start talking about its health benefits, let’s talk about the chicken—because it matters. I used a four-pound chicken purchased directly from a ranch at the Hollywood Farmers’ Market. It was a bit on the expensive side, but it was organic and pasture-raised without machine handling. It was handled and butchered by hand. This chicken soup is medicinal, so the quality of the chicken matters. Now that we’ve gotten the topic of chicken out of the way, let’s talk about the other ingredients that give Samgyetang its restorative depth. “Sam” of Samgyetang comes from ginseng in Korean. It brings a distinct earthiness to the broth—slightly bitter, grounding,...

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef is my all-time favorite Chinese dish—savory, slightly sweet, garlicky, and finished with that irresistible glossy sauce that clings to every slice of beef. Despite its name, the dish isn’t from Mongolia at all; it’s a Chinese-American creation inspired by flavors and cooking techniques from northern China, popularized in Chinese restaurants in the United States. The combination of tender sliced beef, aromatics like ginger and garlic, and a rich soy-based sauce makes it both comforting and bold, the kind of dish that feels special yet familiar every time it’s served. Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me. INGREDIENTS [serves 3 to 4 as a main course] one pound of boneless ribeye steak, sliced one and a half tablespoons of cornstarch two tablespoons of Tamari soy sauce two tablespoons of vegetable oil one tablespoon of cooking Michiu two teaspoons of oyster sauce two teaspoons of Sriracha sauce one tablespoon of roughly chopped ginger two garlic cloves, sli...

Are We Ready for the Truth? I’m Fat.

I am fat. That is neither a confession nor a plea for reassurance. It is not coded self-loathing nor an invitation for affirmation. It is a description of my body. Yet the moment I say it aloud, people rush to correct me, as though I have misidentified myself. “You’re not fat,” they insist, with the urgency of someone extinguishing a small fire. The discomfort is not mine. It is theirs. Las Alcobas Hotel Staircase, Mexico City, Mexico Fat is not an identity. It is not a character assessment or a moral condition. It is a descriptor of a body. The body is a vessel that carries who we are; it is not the entirety of who we are. When I describe my body as fat, I am not reducing myself. I am describing the state of the vessel. We have constructed a culture in which self-acceptance is treated as a moral virtue—but only when it follows approved language. Love your body, we are told, but do not describe it in ways that unsettle others. Do not call yourself fat unless you meet some publicly agre...

Homemade Balsamic Glaze

There are ingredients that demand complexity, and then there are ingredients that reward quiet. Balsamic glaze belongs firmly in the latter category. At its core, it is nothing more than vinegar reduced with a touch of sugar. No emulsions. No elaborate technique. Just heat transforming sharpness into depth. As the vinegar simmers, it thickens into something darker, glossier, and quietly dramatic. A proper balsamic reduction carries contrast. It is sweet, but not cloying. Acidic, but softened. It pools against burrata, streaks across roasted vegetables, finishes a steak, and cuts through the richness of duck with precision. It does not overwhelm. It punctuates. And unlike many bottled versions, which can taste flat or syrupy, a homemade glaze retains the complexity of the vinegar itself. The flavor concentrates. The texture becomes silkier. The control is yours. INGREDIENTS a half cup of balsamic vinegar one and a half teaspoons of sugar In a small saucepan, combine the balsamic...

Fiercely Chic in Leather

Long before leather became synonymous with rebellion and sex appeal, it was a marker of wealth and social standing. In eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Europe, finely crafted leather gloves were indispensable accessories for women of privilege, signaling refinement and the luxury of hands unaccustomed to manual labor. How amusing that a material once associated with proper etiquette would eventually become one of fashion's most provocative expressions of independence. Leather, it seems, has always understood the importance of making an impression, even as its definition of good manners has changed rather dramatically. Paris, France By the twentieth century, leather had shed much of its polite disposition. Yves Saint Laurent brought motorcycle-inspired rebellion into the hallowed world of Christian Dior in 1960, while Vivienne Westwood later embraced leather's more subversive possibilities through punk and fetish-inspired fashion. Azzedine Alaïa sculpted it around the femal...

Curated: Autumn 2026 Style Makers

Autumn has a way of making getting dressed feel interesting again. Perhaps it is the cooling air, or simply the relief of no longer negotiating with heat, but suddenly there is room for texture, layers, and a little more intention. The closet does not need to be reinvented for the occasion. As I wrote in Curated: Summer 2026 Style Makers , style is about curation: knowing what belongs, what still works, and what deserves the occasional addition. at LACMA There is confidence in that kind of restraint. It is the difference between wearing what fashion tells us is new and knowing ourselves well enough to decide what is worth bringing home. A beautifully cut jacket, an unexpected shoe, or a sweater with just enough personality can shift pieces we have owned for years into something that feels entirely current. The point is not to become someone new every season, but to become increasingly certain of the person already standing in front of the closet. And then there is color. Summer’s white...

Exhaling Life

Search This Blog