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Have you ever wondered how to make those perfect, jammy eggs that come nestled on top of a bowl of ramen? Turns out it’s super-easy, and they make a great snack, too.
Why we love this recipe
Ramen eggs have always seemed kind of magical to me. They’re savory and sweet, with perfect jammy yolks. The outsides are shellacked with a gorgeous, rich brown that fades away into the center. How do they DO that?
Well, here’s the thing. It’s super easy. All you have to do is:
- Take everyone’s favorite seven-minute boiled eggs
- Let them hang out overnight in a truly simple marinade made in a flash from sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar
- That’s it — there’s no step three except to eat them
I first published this recipe here in 2019. I’ve since updated the post for clarity, but the recipe remains the same.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Start with good-quality eggs. You can learn all about how to buy the best eggs you can afford in my seven-minute eggs post. The instructions in the recipe card below will show you how to cook them.
- I like to use reduced-sodium soy sauce, which has all the umami but is a little less salty.
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine that’s pervasive in cooking and in dipping sauces. It’s pretty easy to find in grocery stores these days, but you can also buy it here.
- For ramen eggs, I tend to use a good-quality Junmai or Junmai Gingo sake that I enjoy drinking. (Junmai means there’s no no distilled alcohol added, and gingo has to do with the percentage that the rice is polished before brewing.) Bringing the marinade to a boil means that there won’t be an appreciable amount of alcohol in the recipe, so it’s totally appropriate for your umami-loving kiddos. Got leftover sake? Try this fabulous cocktail, or sip it straight.
How to make it
Here’s an overview of what you’ll do to make ramen eggs. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- First you’ll boil the eggs for seven minutes, plunge them into ice water to cool, and peel.
- Then you’ll make the marinade by heating the soy sauce, mirin, sake, and sugar in a small pot. Bring to a boil, then simmer for one minute. Off the heat, stir in one heaping cup of ice cubes until melted.
- Place the eggs into a bowl or airtight container and pour the marinade overtop.
- Cover tightly and refrigerate for about 24 hours. That’s it!
Expert tips and FAQs
They’re equally great halved (either lengthwise or crosswise) and served atop a bowl of your favorite ramen, or alone as a snack or starter, maybe alongside that open bottle of sake. You can eat them chilled, at room temperature, or reheated with a brief dip into very hot water before slicing.
You can. They’ll keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Just don’t leave them in the marinade, since the salt and sugar will continue preserving them and make them tough.
More favorite Japanese-inspired snacks
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Ramen Egg Recipe (Ajitsuke Tamago)
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs
- ½ cup (120 ml) sake
- ½ cup (120 ml) mirin
- ½ cup (120 ml) soy sauce (reduced sodium is fine)
- ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar
- 1 heaping cup ice
Instructions
- Fill a small pot about halfway with water and bring to a boil.
- Carefully lower the eggs into the pot one at a time. (I like to use a small strainer, but you can also use a spoon.)
- Set a timer for seven minutes. Try to keep the water at a brisk simmer without jostling the eggs around more than necessary.
- While the eggs boil, fill a medium bowl about halfway with lots of ice and cold water.
- When the timer rings, take the eggs out right away, place them in the ice water, and let sit until cool, about 15 minutes.
- Meanwhile, in a small pot, stir together sake, mirin, soy sauce, and sugar.
- Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
- When it boils, turn down the heat and simmer for one minute.
- Off the heat, add one heaping cup of ice to the pot to both dilute and chill the marinade. (Alternatively, you can place the ice in a 4-cup glass measuring cup or nonreactive bowl and pour the marinade overtop.)
- Place peeled seven-minute eggs into marinade.
- Cover tightly, and refrigerate for about 24 hours, turning once or twice if you think of it.
Notes
- For ramen eggs, I tend to use a good-quality Junmai or Junmai Gingo sake that I enjoy drinking. (Junmai means there's no no distilled alcohol added, and gingo has to do with the percentage that the rice is polished before brewing.) Bringing the marinade to a boil means that there won't be an appreciable amount of alcohol in the recipe, so it's totally appropriate for your umami-loving kiddos.
- Mirin is a sweet Japanese rice wine that's pervasive in cooking and in dipping sauces. It's pretty easy to find in grocery stores these days, but you can also buy it here.
- I like to use reduced-sodium soy sauce, which has all the umami but is a little less salty.
- For less intense flavor, you can remove the eggs at any point after about eight hours. For more intense flavor you can let the eggs marinate a bit longer. However, the salt and sugar in the marinade will make the eggs tough eventually, so don't leave them for more than about 36 hours.
- Ramen eggs will keep well in an airtight container in the fridge for a week. Just don't leave them in the marinade.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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