Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)

One of the hottest trends in the food world right now, these Korean Marinated Eggs (aka Mayak Eggs) are basically jammy eggs that have been marinated in the most delicious sweet-salty sauce. Each bite is bursting with flavour and yet so simple to make. These jewels of deliciousness are perfect with any rice or noodle dish, and even as a snack! 

These Korean Marinated Eggs are one of life’s simplest pleasures – basic pantry ingredients that when combined together, becomes something so spectacular. They are famously known as Mayak Gyeran in Korea, which directly translates into Drug Eggs – no drugs used in this recipe, but isn’t that an indication of just how addictive these babies are?! 

To me, the best kind of eggs for this recipe is soft boiled eggs i.e. boiling them for only 6 minutes. Only then can these eggs retain their gloriously gooey jammy consistency. The eggs are then placed in a sweet-salty umami tsunami marinade for a couple of hours/days which would 1) give them INCREDIBLE flavour and 2) cure them. When the eggs are properly cured, the yolk gets darker and thicker and the whites start to get firmer without being too tough – SO GOOD. 

P.s. the longer they sit in the sauce, the more flavour they’ll pick up and the firmer they’ll get (in a good way). 

A tip when boiling eggs – using a metal skewer or the tip of your knife, carefully prick a tiny hole at the base of the egg. What this does is ‘break’ the air pocket in the egg which prevents that ugly indention at the bottom, and also makes it much easier to peel. This is really REALLY important so that you won’t damage your egg when peeling, especially if it’s a soft boiled egg. Don’t worry, the egg won’t leak because there isn’t actually a change of air pressure within the egg to force any liquids out. 

These Mayak Eggs are absolutely phenomenal when served on top of a bed of warm rice, in a noodle dish, or perhaps on top of Kimchi Risotto. Having them as a snack is a mega fab idea too (I do that and I really really really recommend it). 

Print Recipe

Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)

(5 votes, average: 4.40 out of 5)

Loading...

Serves: 4 eggs

Ingredients

• 4 eggs, room temperature
• 60g light soy sauce
• 60g water
• 2 garlic cloves, grated
• 2 tablespoons mirin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 red chilli (optional)
• 3 spring onions, chopped (optional)
• 3/4 tablespoon sesame seeds (optional)

Instructions

1

Using a metal skewer or the tip of your knife, carefully prick a tiny hole in the base of the egg.

2

Bring a pot of water to the boil, add the eggs, reduce the heat and simmer for 6 minutes (or 10 minutes for a hard boiled egg). Remove from heat and place in a bowl of iced water. Let it cool completely.

3

In the meantime, make the marinade. In the bowl/container that you’re going to store the eggs in, combine the soy sauce, garlic, mirin, rice vinegar, sugar and salt until well mixed. Add chilli, spring onion and sesame seeds & stir.

4

To peel, gently tap the eggs on the base with the hole. Cracking it on its side could actually damage and split the egg so be very careful! Peel and place them in the the bowl/container with the marinade, then cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight before serving. They will last 5-7 days in the fridge.

5

When ready to serve, slice the egg with a wet knife to minimise chances of the yolks sticking to the knife.