Ajitsuke Tamago (Soy-Marinated Eggs)

Name: Ajitsuke Tamago (Soy-Marinated Eggs)
Total time: 20 min
Yield: Makes 4
Ingredients: Egg 4; Soy sauce 3 tbsp; Mirin (sweet rice seasoning) 3 tbsp; Sugar 1 tsp; Water 3 tbsp for the sauce + about 1 L for boiling + some for chilling; Ice A handful; Plastic bag (food-safe, one that seals) 1

🍱 For a bento

Makes 4 · About 20 min (Plus marinating overnight in the fridge)
Soft-boiled eggs with runny yolks marinated in a sweet and salty soy sauce and mirin sauce. Great for ramen or bento.

⚠️ The egg in this dish is softA soft yolk or runny surface means the egg isn’t fully cooked. For young children, older people and anyone who is unwell, cook the egg until the yolk is firm, as shown in the steps.

① Make the sauce and let cool→② Boil the eggs→③ Chill and peel→④ Soak in sauce

What to buy

Eggs

Egg4

Check what you already have

Soy sauce3 tbspMirin (sweet rice seasoning)3 tbspSugar1 tspWater3 tbsp for the sauce + about 1 L for boiling + some for chillingIceA handfulPlastic bag (food-safe, one that seals)1

Tap an item to check it off (checks clear when you close the page).

How to make it

Make the sauce and let cool

Medium heatAbout 1 min to boil + cooling

In a small pot, put 3 tbsp soy sauce, 3 tbsp mirin, 3 tbsp water and 1 tsp sugar
Set over medium heat and turn off the heat when it starts bubbling
Leave it to cool (it cools while you boil the eggs)

How to tell it's doneThe rim of the small pot is not hot when you touch it.

Boil the eggs

Medium heat (bubbling boil)7 min

Put about 1 L water in a pot and bring to a boil
Put eggs straight from the fridge on a ladle and gently lower them into the boiling water
As soon as they are in, set a timer for 7 min. For the first 1 min, gently roll the eggs with chopsticks (this moves the yolk to the center)
Keep the heat so the water stays at a bubbling boil

How to tell it's doneThe timer rang at 7 min. Go to the next step right away.

Be carefulIf you drop the eggs in, the shells crack and the whites leak out. Lower the ladle all the way to the bottom before letting go.

Chill and peel

Chill 5 min + peel about 5 min

Get a bowl of water and ice ready
When 7 min are up, scoop the eggs out with a ladle into the ice water and chill for 5 min
Tap the round bottom end of each egg lightly on the counter to crack it, then crack it all over
Peel the shell off in the water, starting from the crack

How to tell it's doneAll the shell is off, and the white is smooth. The white is set but a little soft when pressed.

Soak in sauce

In the fridge overnight (6 hr or more)

Put the peeled eggs and the cooled sauce from step 1 in the plastic bag
Press the air out of the bag, seal it, and put it in the fridge with the eggs covered in the sauce
Let sit overnight (6 hr or more). Turn the bag over once partway through

ReadyThe outside of the white is light brown. When you cut one in half, the yolk is runny. Eat within 2 days. The yolk is soft-boiled, so if small children, older people or someone who is unwell will eat them, boil for 12 min in step 2 so the yolk is firm.

📚 Learn more about this dish

🥬 Ingredient guide

Eggs Mirin Shoyu (soy sauce)

🔪 Cutting & cooking tips

Boiling Heat levels (high, medium, low)

If it didn't work out

The yolk is hardBoiled too long. Next time, use 6 min 30 sec. If they do not go into cold water right away, the leftover heat sets them.

The shell is hard to peelNot chilled enough. Next time, chill a full 5 min in ice water, then peel in the water.

The color and flavor are too lightNot marinated long enough, or the eggs were sticking out of the sauce. Press the air out of the bag and let sit overnight.

Too saltyThey marinated for more than 2 days. Next time, take them out of the bag after 1 day.

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Made by YUU, a teen who loves cooking → About me