Ramen Eggs (Ajitsuke Tamago)

×2 · Makes 8

Prep 5 min · Cook 10 min

Japanese soft-boiled eggs marinated in a sweet-savory soy mixture for a rich ramen topping or snack.

To Make the Marinade:

Note that this recipe requires a marination time of 8 hours or overnight; gather all ingredients.

¹⁄₂ cup (130 g) soy sauce
¹⁄₂ cup (130 g) mirin
¹⁄₂ cup (120 g) sake or water
2 tsp (8 g) sugar

In a small saucepan, combine the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar.

Bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar dissolves; lower the heat and simmer for 1 minute. Turn off the heat and let cool completely.

To Cook the Soft-Boiled Eggs:

2 quarts (1.9 kg) water, for boiling
8 (410 g) large eggs, refrigerated until ready to boil

Bring the water to a full boil in a saucepan; gently lower in the eggs one at a time. Set a timer for 7 minutes after adding the first egg.

Maintain a gentle boil, keeping the water simmering without a strong bubble.

ice water

After 7 minutes, remove the eggs and shock them in a bowl of iced water; cool for 15 minutes.

To Marinate the Eggs:

Once completely cooled, crack and peel the eggs (starting from the wide bottom end), dipping in the iced water as needed to help remove the shell.

Place the peeled eggs and the cooled marinade in a plastic bag; remove the air and seal the bag right above the eggs to keep them submerged. Refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight, rotating occasionally if desired.

To Serve:

furikake, for serving
shichimi togarashi, for serving

Remove the eggs from the marinade and cut in half lengthwise. Serve as a ramen topping, in bento, or as a snack; sprinkle with furikake and shichimi togarashi if desired.

To Store:

Store refrigerated; do not freeze. Remove the eggs from the marinade after 12–24 hours (they get saltier over time) and enjoy within 3–4 days if soft-boiled or within a week if hard-boiled. Do not reuse the marinade with new boiled eggs; repurpose it soon as a seasoning sauce if desired.

Notes

Please note that this recipe requires a marination time of 8 hours or overnight.
Nami's Tip: Optionally, you can cook them 6–6½ minutes for a runny egg yolk and 8–9 minutes for a custard-like egg yolk.
Nami's Tip: During the first 3 minutes, you can gently rotate the eggs with chopsticks to keep the egg yolks centered.
Why do I recommend a plastic bag? It allows us to use less marinade to keep the eggs submerged. We use this marinade only once for food safety reasons, so it’s most economical to prepare no more than what you need. If you use a container instead of a bag, it requires more marinade to submerge the eggs.
You can use a piece of string, fishing line, or cheese cutter to cut the eggs in half cleanly.
If you want to warm them, soak the bag in warm water to bring up the temperature faster.
Keep them refrigerated at all times. Do not freeze as their texture changes when frozen. They will get saltier the longer they marinate, so remove them from the marinade after 12–24 hours. Enjoy within 3–4 days if your eggs are soft-boiled and within a week if hard-boiled. For food safety reasons, I do not recommend reusing this marinade with new boiled eggs. You can repurpose this marinade as a seasoning sauce cooked with your stir-fried or simmered dishes, but use it soon.

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