Ramen Egg (Ajitsuke Tamago)
Ramen Egg is a soft-boiled egg marinated in soy-based sauce that is full of umami. The outer layer of the egg white absorbs the flavour of the marinade and stains the egg a light-brown colour. Ramen Eggs are served not only as a ramen topping but also a side and as nibbles for drinks.Don't forget to see the section 'MEAL IDEAS' below the recipe card! It gives you a list of dishes that I have already posted and this recipe that can make up a complete meal. I hope it is of help to you.
- Prep time
- 5 min
- Cook time
- 7 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- HARD
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 4 eggs ((about 55g / 1.9oz each, chilled))
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp mirin
- 2 tbsp water
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp cooking sake
- 5g / 0.2oz bonito flakes ((note 1))
Instructions
- 1
Put all the Marinade ingredients into a small saucepan and bring it to a boil. Cook for a minute or so, ensuring that the sugar dissolves completely.
- 2
Put the sauce into a small bowl through a sieve to remove the bonito flakes. Press down the bonito flakes in the sieve with the back of a spoon and squeeze out the liquid (note 2). Let it cool.
- 3
Fill a saucepan with water deep enough to boil eggs and bring it to a boil.
- 4
(Optional but recommended) Using a needle and a small hammer or the side of the kitchen scissors, make a tiny hole on the round end of the egg (see the photos in post).
- 5
Using a ladle, gently place the eggs one-by-one in the boiling water. You may want to gently roll the eggs for the first ½-1 minutes to position the egg yolk in the middle.
- 6
Reduce the heat to medium and boil for 6½ minutes (note 3).
- 7
Drain the boiling water and transfer the eggs to a bowl of iced water to quickly cool them down (note 4).
- 8
Gently crack the eggshell all around the egg, then peel the shells. Make sure that you remove the thin membrane pieces on the egg.
- 9
Pat-dry the boiled eggs and place them in a zip lock bag.
- 10
Add the marinade to the bag with eggs. Remove air from the bag as much as possible, then seal (note 5).
- 11
Store in the fridge for 8-10 hours. Rotate the eggs after 4 hours to evenly marinate the eggs.
- 12
Cut each egg in half using a thread by wrapping the thread around the egg or sliding the thread through the egg (note 6).
- 13
Serve two halves as a topping for a ramen, an izakaya-style side dish, or on a cooked rice.