A quintessential Korean side dish: Jangjorim with Shishito peppers and quail eggs! Salty, filling, beefy — a banchan you’ll reach for again and again.
**Thank you Spring Creek Quail Farms for sponsoring this post! Opinions are my own.**
Whenever I visit my Korean grandmother, there’s always a tupperware container filled with Jangjorim in the fridge.
I grew up eating this classic Korean side dish. Salty. Beefy. Filling. Doesn’t spoil easily. Tastes good with rice. Always available.
Even if there’s nothing else to eat in the house, there’s always Jangjorim!
What is Jangjorim?
Jangjorim is a Korean side dish that’s best described as salty strips of braised, soy sauce beef. An economical and long-lasting way to make a piece of beef stretch, it tastes good cold or room temperature.
With a few hard boiled eggs and shishito peppers tossed in — it’s a filling and substantial side dish. Jang Jorim also doesn’t spoil easy, making it classic lunch box or picnic food items.
At the Korean table, Jang Jorim is served with rice. In fact, it’s often called a “rice thief” because the salty flavor requires so many servings of rice!
Also, the texture of Jangjorim is not really soft and tender but more chewy and tough. Hearty, delicious, and very filling — this simple dish represents Korean home cooking at its best!
Ingredients:
- Beef. Lean flank steak is preferred because it’s easy to shred and the flavor is good.
- Soy sauce. Do not use the low sodium kind! Tastes flat and strangely metallic when cooked for a long time. I’ve used brands Yamasa, Sempio, and Kikkoman all with good results.
- Mirin. Sweet Korean/Japanese cooking wine. Adds flavor and removes any gamy smells or flavor.
- Sugar. A little to balance out the soy sauce.
- Water. For a braising liquid that’s not too salty.
- Shishito Peppers. Add body, depth, and freshness to the beef and braising liquid. Can be subbed with jalapenos. Full of vitamin C, they are my favorite part of this Korean salty beef.
- Quail Eggs. Typically, hard boiled eggs are included. But I prefer quail eggs as their tiny size work better to soak all that rich braising liquid! For this recipe, I used Spring Creek Quail Eggs which come from a local Ontario farm. I’ve been buying and loving their quail eggs for years!
How to Make Jangjorim with Quail Eggs:
- Boil flank steak.
- Shred beef into bite-sized strips.
- Add soy sauce, mirin, and sugar and simmer.
- Add shishito peppers and cook until deflated.
- Add hard boiled quail eggs.
- Cool and serve cold, or room temperature with rice.
How do you eat Jangjorim? What do I eat with it?
Jangjorim is very salty and eaten as one of many Korean banchan or side dishes, served with rice.
People typically eat only a little bit of Jangjorim at each meal. Stored in a tupperware container in the fridge, it’s brought out at every meal and served cold with kimchi and other food items.
Sometimes, people spoon the Jang jorim sauce over rice. Or reserve the leftover sauce as braising liquid for additional hard boiled eggs. The beefy, salty sauce is so tasty.
Other Korean side dishes you may enjoy with Jangjorim:
- Oi Muchim [Cucumber Salad]
- Braised Lotus Roots
- Korean Potato Salad
- Dubu Jorim [Braised Tofu
- Gyeran Jjim (Steamed Egg)
FAQ:
Why quail eggs?
I prefer quail eggs as they soak up all that braised soy sauce beef flavor. They also contain the perfect yolk to egg white ratio. So good! If you can’t find them, use regular eggs instead.
Where can I find quail eggs?
Quail eggs are available at most grocery stores. I’ve seen quail eggs at Walmart, President’s Choice, No Frills, and Metro. I’ve also seen them at Asian grocery stores (T&T, Foody World, Galleria), Whole Foods, and Costco! They come in packs of 18.
Do I really need to add the Shishito Peppers?
Peppers are a classic way to flavor this classic Korean side dish. They do not make the dish spicy. Instead, they add body and depth, while also making sure the resulting dish is not “too beefy” at the end. Honestly, they are my favorite part and I often pick them out and eat them first.
PRO Tips:
- Keep the cross contamination minimal. Jang jorim is typically stored in a tupperware container. But it can last longer if you don’t eat it straight from the container. Instead, transfer a small amount to another dish to serve.
- Take the chill off. If you prefer, microwave for 30 seconds to take the chill off before serving.
- Peel Quail Eggs. To make peeling easier, crack the shell first. There is a clear protein that holds the shell together. Grab a bit of the protein when peeling to make shell removal easier.
Jangjorim (Korean Salty Braised Soy Sauce Beef) with Quail Eggs
Equipment
- Stock pot
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank beef steak
- 2 cups water
- 18 quail eggs
- 8 oz/227 g Shishito peppers (about 2 cups)
Braising Liquid
- 1/4 cup soy sauce (not the low sodium kind)
- 1/4 cup Mirin
- 2 Tbsp sugar
Instructions
- Cut 1 lb flank steak into two equal halves, against the grain. Each half should be 2-3 inches long. Cover with cold water (about 2 cups) and boil for 30 minutes (covered) until a fork slides through with some resistance. The meat should not be bouncy or hard. But it shouldn't be completely tender either.
- Meanwhile, hard boil the quail eggs: cover with cold water and bring to a boil. Simmer for two minutes. Drain and immediately transfer to an ice water bath. Chill for 5 minutes. Peel eggs and set aside.
- When cool enough to handle, cut or shred beef into bite-sized strips. (The traditional way is to shred the beef by hand but my Halmoni cuts hers into neat strips, which is the way I like to do it as well. Cutting instead of hand shredding avoids stringy pieces of beef.)
- Add braising liquid: soy sauce, mirin, and sugar. Simmer (uncovered) for another 15 minutes until the beef is dark and there is just a little bit of resistance when you slide in a fork. Half the original liquid should be evaporated by now.
- Add shishito peppers and simmer (covered) until soft and deflated, another 10-15 minutes. By now, the beef should be tender with very little resistance. The liquid should be at 20% of the original volume.
- Add hard boiled quail eggs and cook another 5-10 minutes, making sure to spoon the braising liquid over the eggs.
- Serve warm, cold, or room temperature — preferably with rice and other banchan. Enjoy!
Notes
*Thanks to Spring Creek Quail Farms for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.*
