In the world of breakfast sandwiches, Korean Street Toast reigns supreme. Also known as Gilgeori Toast, it’s a delicious and satisfying South Korean street food item enjoyed by school kids and business people alike. A unique sandwich packed with lots of crunchy vegetables and layered with smoky ham, sharp cheddar cheese, and generous drizzles of mayo and ketchup. A sprinkle of sugar gives it that special tang. Thick slices of buttered milk bread complete the sandwich!

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*Thanks to Conestoga Farms for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.*

What is Korean Street Toast or Gilgeori Toast?

Korean Street Toast or Gilgeori Toast is a popular Korean breakfast sandwich sold by street vendors in South Korea. A unique and incredibly delicious sandwich, it’s packed with vegetables and layered with ham and cheese.

In South Korea, vendors sell this popular street food item from their carts all day long. (‘Gilgeori’ means street or alley in Korean). There’s even a chain (Isaac Toast) with over 800 locations devoted to this iconic Korean food item.

What makes Korean Street Toast unique? The combination of fresh, crunchy veggies and generous drizzles of mayo and ketchup sandwiched between thick slices of buttered bread. Plus, a sprinkling of sugar for that sweet tang! Together they make an utterly delicious Korean breakfast egg sandwich!

Ingredients:

• Eggs. Fresh, local, organic eggs taste best. For this recipe, I used Free Run Omega-3 eggs from Conestoga Farms, a local farm here in Ontario. There’s just no comparison to fresh, local eggs laid by free run chickens — the flavor is unmatched.
• Cabbage + Carrot. A mix of finely shredded cabbage and carrots keeps the sandwich fresh and crunchy.
• Green onion. For color and subtle onion flavor.
• Ham + Cheese. Smoky, thin-sliced ham and sharp cheddar cheese add so much flavor.
• Butter. Toasting the bread with butter is essential! Margarine is a good substitute but don’t leave it out.
• Thick Bread. Thick and fluffy Japanese-style Milk Bread is ideal. But any kind of thick, sandwich-style bread will work. Multi-grain, whole wheat, or white are all good options.
• Sugar. Adds a very necessary Korean flavor! More tangy than sweet, the sugar is sprinkled directly on top of the eggy filling.
• Mayonnaise. Kewpie Mayo is a Japanese sweet mayo that adds richness and flavor.
• Ketchup or Sriracha. Korean Street Toast typically includes ketchup. But I like sriracha for that little bit of extra heat and spice. Ketchup adds more of a sweet tang. Sriracha adds smoky heat!

Instructions:

1. Toast bread. Melt butter in skillet. Toast bread on both sides. Set aside.
2. Prep egg mixture. In a bowl, whisk the egg with salt and pepper. Add cabbage, carrots, and green onion. Mix well. The egg should completely coat the veggies.
3. Cook egg mixture. Heat a skillet and add egg mixture. Shape with a metal spatula into the shape of a square (the same size as the toast). Flip and cook on the other side.
4. Add sugar. Turn off the heat. Sprinkle sugar directly on top of the eggy filling.
5. Add ham and cheese. Add ham and cheese directly on top. If you prefer, briefly heat the ham on the skillet before transferring to the vegetable mixture.
6. Drizzle Mayo and Ketchup and/or Sriracha. Be generous!
7. Assemble sandwich. Transfer to buttered toast, adding more cabbage on top for freshness. Top with the remaining slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!

PRO Tips:

• Make sure the egg mixture is fully cooked. Cook the egg mixture longer than you think — about 3-4 minutes per side over medium to medium-low heat. Look for the egg mixture to be fully cooked all the way to the middle, not just on the edges. Otherwise, it will be raw in the middle.
• Add lots of veggies. My recipe uses a ratio of 1 large egg for 1.5 cup veggies. That’s for 1 serving. But adjust the egg-to-vegetable ratio to your liking. The egg should barely hold all the vegetables together.
• For 2+ servings, use a grill pan. This recipe easily duplicates. If cooking multiples, I recommend using a large, rectangular grill pan for faster cooking.

Watch how to make it:

Helpful Kitchen Tools:

• Large Skillet. A large-sized skillet (at least 11″) makes it easier to cook everything in one pan. Stainless steel, carbon steel, or non-stick skillets (like cast iron or teflon-coated skillets) all work great.
• Large Metal Spatula. Makes shaping and flipping the egg filling easier. The larger, the better. I recommend the Oxo fish spatula (affiliate), which is an essential cooking tool in my kitchen.
• Cooling Rack. Transfer toasted bread slices to a cooling rack. Prevents bread from becoming too soggy. Or, make a tent out of the bread by leaning two pieces against each other so the steam can escape.
• Vegetable Shredder/Julienner. Not necessary but helpful to quickly and finely shred cabbage and carrots. I recommend the Oxo Julienne Peeler (affiliate) to make quick work of hard vegetables such as carrots.

Variations:

• Make it vegan. Leave out the ham and cheese. Swap out the egg with egg substitute and Kewpie mayo with vegan mayo. A complete plant-based meal.
• Make it sweeter. For a sweeter variation, add drizzles of sweetened condensed milk (from a can) instead of the mayonnaise.

More Asian breakfast recipes:

• Crispy Hash Browns with Kimchi + Fried Eggs + Bacon
• Air Fryer Hong Kong French Toast
• Buttermilk Waffles + Black Sesame Whip
• Gyeran Bap (Korean Egg Rice with Butter)
• Korean Tornado Egg Omelette with Ginger Fried Rice

Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast)

The Subversive Table | Lis Lam

In the world of breakfast sandwiches, Korean Street Toast reigns supreme. Also known as Gilgeori Toast, it's a delicious and satisfying South Korean street food item enjoyed by school kids and business people alike. A unique sandwich that's packed with lots of crunchy vegetables and layered with smoky ham, sharp cheddar cheese, and generous drizzles of mayo and ketchup. A sprinkle of sugar gives it that special tang. Thick slices of buttered milk bread complete the sandwich!

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine Korean

Servings 1

Calories 512 kcal

Equipment

• Skillet (cast iron, non-stick, stainless steel, carbon steel)
• Large metal spatula

Ingredients

  

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Toasted Bread:

• 2 thick slices bread (Japanese Milk Bread preferred but Texas style toast also works, as well as regular white or multi-grain sandwich bread)
• 1-2 Tbsp unsalted butter

Eggy Filling:

• 1 large egg preferably organic
• salt + pepper
• 1 cup cabbage, thinly sliced (preferably Korean cabbage but green cabbage or savoy also works)
• 1/2 cup carrot, grated or julienned
• 1 green onion, chopped

Additional Toppings:

• 1-2 tsp sugar (to taste)
• 1-2 slices ham
• 1 slice cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup cabbage, shredded (optional)
• drizzle mayonnaise (I use Kewpie mayo)
• drizzle Sriracha (optional; ketchup is a good non-spicy substitute)

Instructions

 

• Make egg mixture. In a large bowl, add egg, salt, and pepper. Whisk well with a fork. Add shredded cabbage, julienned carrot, and chopped green onion. Mix well until the egg coats all the veggies.
• Toast bread. Heat skillet to medium heat. Melt 1 Tbsp butter and toast bread on one side. If needed, add 1 more Tbsp of butter and flip, toasting bread on other side. Set aside on a wire rack to cool slightly or tent bread against each other so the steam can escape.
• Cook egg mixture. In the same skillet, carefully add eggy mixture in a square-ish mound about the same size as the bread. Using a metal spatula, shape the eggy filling into a square. Cook until the eggy edges look firm and the veggies have wilted a bit, about 3-4 minutes. Flip and cook until the mixture is completely cooked through, another 3-4 minutes. Lower heat to medium low, if the egg is burning or cooking too quickly.
• Add sugar. Turn off the heat. Add 1-2 tsp sugar (to taste) directly over the cooked egg mixture.
• Add ham and cheese. Add ham and cheese on top fo the cooked egg mixture. If you prefer, briefly heat the ham on the skillet before transferring to the vegetable mixture.
• Add mayo and ketchup or sriracha. Be generous!
• Assemble. Make the sandwich, starting with one slice of buttered toasted bread then the egg mixture topped with ham and cheese. Add more cabbage on top, if desired, for added crunch and freshness. Top with remaining slice of bread. Cut in half and enjoy!

Video

Notes

Tips:

• • Make sure the egg mixture is fully cooked. Cook the egg mixture longer than you think — about 3-4 minutes per side over medium to medium-low heat. Look for the egg mixture to be fully cooked all the way to the middle, not just on the edges. Otherwise, it will be raw in the middle.

• • Add lots of veggies. My recipe uses a ratio of 1 large egg for 1.5 cup veggies. That’s for 1 serving. But adjust the egg-to-vegetable ratio to your liking. The egg should barely hold all the vegetables together.

• • For 2+ servings, use a Grill Pan. This recipe easily duplicates. If cooking multiples, I recommend using a large, rectangular grill pan for faster cooking.

Variations:

• Make it vegan. Leave out the ham and cheese. Swap out the egg with egg substitute and Kewpie mayo with vegan mayo. A complete plant-based meal.
• Make it sweeter. For a sweeter variation, add drizzles of sweetened condensed milk (from a can) instead of the mayonnaise.

Nutrition

Calories: 512kcalCarbohydrates: 41gProtein: 23gFat: 29gSaturated Fat: 14gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.5gCholesterol: 250mgSodium: 816mgPotassium: 611mgFiber: 5gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 11688IUVitamin C: 38mgCalcium: 324mgIron: 4mg

Keyword Gilgeori, Korean, Sandwich, Street Toast

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