Making your own ramen eggs: soft-boiled eggs in soy sauce

'Ramen eggs' (or eggs marinated in soy sauce) are a well-known Japanese snack. They grew in popularity worldwide thanks to the famous Momofuku restaurant chain in New York (owned by David Chang), where they serve the soy-sauce eggs on Japanese ramen. But they are also irresistible as a snack or appetizer.

We have written about these popular ramen eggs (also known as ajitama) many times before, but a basic recipe for making them yourself was still missing. For this, we always stick to the recipe from Milk Bar Life by Christina Tosi (who ran the sweet side of restaurant Momofuku).

This version is also served at Momofuku Noodle Bar, topped with crispy fried onions and chives. This makes it a delicious and easy snack.

Making these eggs is a breeze and couldn't be simpler. Do keep in mind, however, that the ramen eggs need to marinate for 2 to 6 hours for the best results. Every bowl of noodle soup benefits from it, not least the one from a packet of instant noodles.

Recipe for ramen eggs

• Boil the eggs for exactly 6 minutes and 50 seconds. Then immerse them in a large bowl of ice water. Let them cool in there until they are manageable.
• Meanwhile, stir the sugar into the warm water in a large bowl until dissolved. Add the soy sauce and sherry vinegar and set aside. Note: different brands of soy sauce have varying intensities, and some taste saltier than others. Therefore, do not add too much at once and taste carefully.
• Peel the eggs and place them in a sealed container together with the marinade. Make sure the eggs are completely submerged in the marinade.
• Let the eggs marinate for 2 to 6 hours. The longer, the more intense (and also saltier) the flavor.
• Afterwards, remove the eggs from the marinade and store them in a sealed container in the refrigerator until ready to use. Cut them in half before serving and sprinkle with some sea salt flakes and black pepper. Serve the soy sauce eggs with ramen, quick instant noodles, or eat them as is.