Noms: Ajitsuke Tamago – Japanese Marinated Soft Boiled Egg with Ramen (Instagram-Ification)

Morning Lovelies!

I’ve got a recipe for you all today that was begged for by many once I posted pics of it on my Instagram and Facebook. I aim to please, so here we are! If you’re a frequenter of ramen shops you’ll probably already know what ajitsuke tamago is, which basically means flavored or marinated egg that is soft boiled. I’m not even sure how I came across these beautiful and tasty little ovals of love, but the most likely answer is scrolling through FoodGawker (food porn of the gods y’all). I saw these delicious soft boiled eggs with creamy yolks and browned edges and my heart went pitter-patter. I sent a link to my boyfriend and he was on board for me attempting to make these. Because anything you can add to ramen is a good thing.

The first recipe that I found for this was a bit far-fetched for my (lazy) needs. It called for organic Japanese eggs (yes, it really specified the region the eggs came from…) and all sorts of ingredients that I really can’t find locally. But I did some more sleuthing and came up with something that I felt many could recreate in even the most humble of kitchens.

Some things to note ahead of time from my research of other recipes: First, you do NOT want to use fresh eggs. Seriously, these suckers are soft boiled and hard boiled eggs are hard enough to peel as it is! Eggs that are at least 5 days old will be easier to peel when the time comes. Secondly, room temperature eggs are less likely to crack so take the time to let your eggs warm up a bit before you boil them. Third, always start with cold water for boiling your eggs so they are less likely to crack. Tip four, wash the eggs under cool running water right after boiling. It stops the cooking process and the steam creates a space in between the egg and the shell, making the eggs easier to peel. And when you do peel them, make sure you are gentle!! I watched my water the entire time the eggs boiled to make sure that they were at a constant soft rolling boil and not being tossed around the pot of water. Take your time and slowly take the shell awake from the eggs. I gently tapped mine on a cutting board to create small cracks over the entire surface of the egg before I started to peel the shells away.

A perfectly soft boiled egg will have a yellow yolk that is soft and runny in the center, slightly firm on the edges and perfectly cooked (but not rigid!) egg whites. I started my pot of cold water on the stove until it came to a boil. Then I reduced the heat to a soft boil, like a really intense simmer. I then added my eggs gently to the pot of boiling water and adjusted the temp on the stove to keep them at a soft boil for 6 minutes exactly. Any longer and they may not have runny yolks and boil past the point of perfection. Once the 6 minutes were up I rinsed the eggs with cool water then immediately dropped them into my ice water bath. I let them hang out in the ice bath for 5 minutes before I peeled them. This video was EXTREMELY helpful for me to watch before I attempted my soft boiled eggs for the first time, I highly recommend you view it to get a grasp on what you’re about to do. Honestly, soft boiling the eggs is the hardest part of this process. And hopefully with my tips and this video you’ll find it as easy as I did! Once you view the quick video, click the link below it to take you to the recipe for the egg marinade!


Ajitsuke Tamago – Marinated Japanese Soft Boiled Egg with Ramen

Prep Time: 10 minutes | ‘Cooking’ Time: At least 4 hours | Makes 4 eggs

Recipe adapted from Pig Pig’s Corner and Evan’s Kitchen Ramblings.

What You’ll Need:

  • 4 room temperature eggs Note: eggs that are least 5 days old work best
  • have a cold water ice bath ready for your eggs once they’ve finished boiling
  • 2/3 cup of water
  • 1/3 cup of light soy sauce
  • 1/3 cup of mirin or dry sherry
  • a dash of fish sauce (optional)
  • 1/4 tsp of sesame oil
  • packaged ramen in the flavor of your choice
  • various meats and veggies to toss into your ramen bowl (this time I used chopped butternut squash, green onions, and pan fried extra firm tofu with oyster sauce and sesame oil)

1. Bring the pot of water to a SOFT boil. Add in eggs and boil gently for 6 minutes. Immediately shock them into the bowl of icy water to prevent the eggs from cooking further. Leave them in the iced water for 5 minutes then peel.

2. Whisk together the water, soy sauce, mirin or dry sherry, fish sauce, and sesame oil in a small-to-medium sized container.

3. Add the peeled soft boiled eggs to the container, cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours but no longer than 12 hours. I turned my eggs every few hours to make sure I got an even coating of the marinade on the surface of each egg. Do not soak longer than 12 hours or you will really start to taste the mirin/sherry and it could overpower the other flavors and change the consistency of your egg yolks. Discard the marinade and store the eggs in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Note: You could also use a small or medium sized airtight ziplock bag to put the eggs in to fully submerge them in the marinade. Make sure it’s leak proof (I set the bags inside of a bowl in the fridge so they wouldn’t roll around and leak)!

4. Make your ramen according to the directions on the packaging. Serve with a bit of the broth, whatever other veggies and meats you want to throw in the bowl, and a sliced ajitsuke tamago on top! ^_^

☻☻☻

There you have it! Your own little ramen shop right at home! Try out different combos of proteins and veggies to throw in the mix. I think next time I’m gonna toss some corn into my bowl along with furikake seasoning and bok choy! ^_^

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