In a bowl of Japanese ramen, I love the ramen egg the most. They call it Ajitama (味玉), or in full form, Ajitsuke Tamago, marinated egg.
It’s usually slightly sweet, soy sauce-based, soft-boiled, and resulting in an oozing egg yolk but not too runny. I like it more than a sunny side up, omelette, or any other form of a cooked egg.
Surprisingly, it’s very easy to make. All you need is a little planning—make it one day ahead to allow enough time for the marinade to work!
Enjoy one on a bowl of Miso Ramen; it’s really MUCH, MUCH BETTER than a chain ‘Japanese restaurant.’
Easy Steps for a Ramen Egg
- Boil eggs for 7 min 30 sec.
- Mix the marinade.
- Plunge into ice cold water.
- Marinate overnight.
Ramen Egg Video Recipe (3 types)
In this video, Chef Kasahara demonstrates 3 kinds of ramen eggs: shoyu (soy sauce), miso, and negi shio (leek and salt).
Jump to 1:40 for a quick start.
How to Cut Ramen Egg with a Thread
Since it’s a soft-boiled egg, meaning the egg yolk is not fully set. If using a knife to cut it open, the runny egg yolk will be dragged across the egg white, and it won’t appear clean.
Here’s a quick video.
Ramen Egg Recipe
Spare 15 minutes to make this wonderful ramen egg when possible. Once you try, you’ll find yourself keep making it. No more boring boiled egg!
Miso Marinade Ingredients
Makes 4 eggs
- 4 eggs
- 50 g miso
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp cooking sake
How to Make
- First, boil a pot of water. Place the eggs into a sieve or ladle, and carefully lower the eggs into the boiling water without thudding the bottom. Set a timer to 7 mins 30 sec. Gently move the eggs around for a minute to help the egg yolks settle in the middle.
- Meanwhile, make the miso marinade. Whisk well the miso, sugar and cooking sake in a bowl. Set aside.
- Prepare a bowl of ice-cold water. Once the eggs are done, carefully transfer them into the cold water.
- Peel the eggs under the cold water can help peeling smoothly.
- Transfer the peeled eggs into a zip bag, and pour in the miso marinade. Squeeze out most of the air as you can, seal the bag, and let marinate overnight.
- Before serving, put a clean thread under an egg, and cross the thread to cleanly cut open the egg. Serve it on ramen or enjoy it itself as a snack or atop a bowl of hot rice.
