Korean marinated eggs or mayak eggs are boiled eggs soaked in a sweet and savory marinade. It is super simple to make with only a handful of ingredients such as soy sauce, water, garlic, green onions, sugar, and sesame seeds. Perfect with rice or noodle dishes for breakfast or any time of day.
What are Korean marinated eggs?
They are soy-marinated eggs. In Korea, mayak is a drug and gyeran is an egg. They are literally translated as drug eggs because they are said to be addictive. These eggs do not have any drugs but it is a way to describe how moreish they are. Once you had one you would want more. Korean marinated eggs went viral on social media a few years ago. They were everywhere on nearly every platform. That’s how I got into it too.
Why you’ll love mayak eggs
1. Easy to make – Mayak eggs are easy to make, you only need your boiling and watch the timer skills.
2. Easy to find ingredients – All the ingredients needed to make marinated eggs are easily found in a local shop which does not need a trip to the Asian supermarket.
Ingredients
Eggs – fresh eggs boiled to your preference, you can have it either hard-boiled or jammy
Soy sauce – use light soy sauce
Water – use stock or dashi for a more flavourful marinade
Garlic
Green onion
Sugar – as a sweetener, Korean recipes call for rice syrup, use other sweeteners such as corn syrup, honey or other sweetener of your choice
Sesame seeds
The optional ingredient is pepper which may come in the form of flakes or fresh chillies. Feel free to add to your taste. This recipe keeps it optional because it was meant to be shared with a child who cannot have chilies yet.
How to make Korean Marinated Eggs
You only need to be able to boil the eggs, cool them in an ice bath, make the marinade beforehand so it is ready when the eggs are peeled and then soak the eggs to marinate. It will not be the end of the world to forget one or two of the ingredients but the essentials are the soy sauce for the saltiness and sugar or other sweeter for the sweetness which I nearly missed once because I was in a hurry. So, to avoid ending up in a funny situation, make the marinade while the eggs are boiling away.
1. In a pot, bring enough water to a boil. Place the eggs gently in the pot. Cover with a lid. Turn the heat down so it is just a gentle simmer.
2. Cook for 6 and a half minutes for soft-boiled eggs or 8-10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Take the eggs out and place them in a cold water or ice bath.
3. While cooking the eggs are cooking in the pot, make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a deep bowl. This will ensure that you do not forget any ingredients.
4. Peel the eggs gently. Add them to the marinade and let sit to marinate overnight in the fridge.
5. Place an egg on a bowl of warm rice, slice the egg in half and, drizzle some of the marinade on top. Enjoy
What to eat with Korean marinated eggs
1. Serve mayak eggs with a freshly steamed bowl of rice.
2. Use as a garnish for noodle soup such as ramen.
3. Serve as a side dish.
Cooking Tips
1. To get perfectly soft-boiled eggs, keep the eggs at room temperature before cooking. Simmer for 6 and a half minutes then cool immediately in an ice bath.
Storage and Leftovers
Keep the marinated eggs in an airtight container for 3-4 days in the fridge.
If you prefer to learn by watching, you can find a video of this recipe on Youtube.
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Let’s get cooking.
Korean Marinated Eggs (Mayak Eggs)
Ingredients
- 6 eggs fresh, at room temperature
- 1/2 c soy sauce light or regular
- 1/2 c water or stock
- 1/8 c sugar rice syrup, corn syrup or honey
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 1 green onion chopped
- 1 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Instructions
- 1. In a pot, bring enough water to a boil. Place the eggs gently in the pot. Cover with a lid. Turn the heat down so it is just a gentle simmer.
- Cook for 6 and a half minutes for soft-boiled eggs or 8-10 minutes for hard-boiled eggs. Take the eggs out and place them in a cold water or ice bath.
- Make the marinade by combining all the ingredients in a deep bowl.
- Peel the eggs gently. Add them to the marinade and let sit to marinate overnight in the fridge.
- Serve with warm rice or a hot bowl of noodles. Drizzle with some of the marinade. Enjoy.
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