Korean Street Toast, also known as gilgeori toast, is a buttery sweet and savory egg sandwich that is packed with protein and vegetables. This toast (sandwich) is made of an egg omelet filled with cabbage, finished with a light sprinkle of sugar, a swirl of ketchup and mayo, and optional additions like cheese or ham for extra richness.
Gilgeori means street, so the name gilgeori toast translates directly to street toast. While there is no definitive date for its creation, it is believed to have taken shape in the 1970s after the war, when newly imported foods became more widely embraced in Korea. On my first trip to Korea in 2007, I often stopped at a small street cart in Shinchon near one of Seoul’s top universities. It was run by a super friendly ahjussi, and the toast was incredibly delicious and unbelievably affordable. I still think about that cart to this day.
In the street
The street food version is usually cooked on a large flat griddle, with buttered toast and egg omelets sizzling side by side as they make ten or more sandwiches at once. It is often served folded inside a paper cup, making it easy to eat on the go.The simple flavors are delicious. While there are fewer street carts than before, newer fast casual chains like Isaac Toast have popped up, and a handful of iconic street stalls still remain.
Variations and Ingredients
There are many variations of Korean street toast. Some versions place the cabbage on top of the egg omelet, while others mix it directly into the eggs. Some add sweet jams, ham, bulgogi, or other fillings. You can make it as fancy or as simple as you’d like, spending on what you have at home!
The key ingredients that are must have are: bread, egg, cabbage, and sugar! Sugar may seem odd, but it balances out the richness from the butter and Koreans seem to love the sweet and salty flavors especially on bread.
This recipe is inspired by Korean celebrity chef Baek Jong Won and his YouTube channel, but the sandwich itself is very flexible. . It’s the very simple style to make it easy, similar to the cart I used to visit. You can make swaps with whatever you have at home!
Korean Street Toast (Gilgeori Toast)
Ingredients
- ¼ cup 1 oz shredded cabbage
- ½ small carrot julienned
- 1 green onion chopped
- 1 cheese slice
- 2 ham slices
- 2 eggs
- 2 slices of bread
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 1-2 Tbsp sugar to taste
- Ketchup to taste
- Mayonnaise to taste
Instructions
- Shred the cabbage, julienne the carrots, and finely chop the green onion; set aside. In a small bowl, beat the eggs, then add the prepared vegetables and mix well.
- Optional: On a frying pan, lightly toast the ham slices for about 30 seconds on each side.
- Preheat a nonstick pan over medium heat and melt a little butter. Pour in the egg mixture, spreading it into a long rectangle wide enough to fit two slices of bread. Cook until the bottom is lightly golden and the top is just set, no longer jiggly but still slightly soft.
- Place the two slices of bread on top of the egg, positioning them so the bottom edges touch in the center and the top edges face outward. Once the egg is fully cooked, add a bit more butter to the pan, then flip the egg and bread together so the bread is on the bottom and the egg is on top.
- Swirl the bread around the pan to toast it in the butter until golden. Turn off the heat, top with (optioanl) sugar, cheese slice and ham, then spread ketchup and butter as desired. Fold the other slice of bread over the fillings. Enjoy!
Leave a Reply