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Marinated Eggs in Soy Sauce
Instructions
Get the ingredients ready. Eggs that have been in the fridge for about a week work best here: on very fresh eggs the membrane clings to the white, and the peeled surface comes out uneven. It does not affect the taste. If you like, add a few sprigs of coriander, dill or spring onion to the parsley.
Put the eggs in a pan, cover them with cold water by 2 cm and add 1 tsp of salt: if a shell cracks, the white sets faster in salted water. Bring to the boil and cook over medium heat for 8 minutes. This recipe needs hard-boiled eggs: the hot marinade goes over them, and a firm white keeps its shape well.
Move the eggs into cold water and change it a couple of times as it warms up. Cooling them quickly helps the shell come away from the white, so the eggs peel more easily.
Peel the eggs. Marinating works best with smooth eggs, so peel them carefully, ideally under running water.
Chop the onion, parsley and chilli, seeds included, very finely: small pieces flavour the marinade evenly and do not stick to the eggs in large flakes.
Crush the garlic in a press or chop it finely. Pressed garlic turns into a paste and flavours the marinade faster.
Put all the chopped ingredients into a narrow container; a 1-litre jar is ideal. In a narrow jar the marinade covers 5 eggs completely and you need less soy sauce.
Add the sugar: it softens the saltiness of the soy sauce and gives the marinade a light caramel note.
Bring the water and soy sauce to the boil and pour into the jar. The jar should be at room temperature, not from the fridge: pour the hot marinade in a thin stream down the side so the glass does not crack. A hot marinade colours the whites faster than a cold one.
Add the eggs to the marinade: they should be fully covered. Close the jar, let it cool to room temperature, but for no longer than 2 hours, and put it in the fridge.
After a day, take the eggs out of the marinade. By then the whites have taken on colour and the flavour of soy sauce, garlic and chilli.
Tips
- 1
For easy peeling, use eggs that are not the freshest. On fresh eggs the membrane under the shell clings to the white and the surface tears. Eggs that have been in the fridge for 7-10 days peel easily and stay smooth.
- 2
The eggs for this recipe are hard-boiled: 7-8 minutes after the boil from a cold-water start, or 10-11 minutes lowered into boiling water. Cooked for more than 12 minutes, the yolk dries out and gets a grey-green edge: harmless, but it looks unattractive when cut. Times for every kind of egg are in how long to boil eggs.
- 3
A hot marinade colours the whites faster than a cold one. In a day the outer layer of the white darkens while the part next to the yolk stays pale, which gives a neat border when the egg is cut.
- 4
Marinated eggs go well with other soy sauce dishes, such as chicken legs in soy sauce in the oven: together they make an Asian-style dinner.
- 5
For ramen, the eggs are made with a thick, jammy yolk: lower medium-large eggs straight from the fridge into boiling water for 8 minutes, then chill them in iced water for 15 minutes. Cool the marinade completely first, or it will keep cooking the yolks, and marinate the eggs in the fridge for 8-24 hours. Then take them out and eat them within 3 days. Eggs with runny yolks are not suitable for pregnant women, young children, older people or anyone with a weakened immune system.
FAQ
Which soy sauce is best for marinating? +
An ordinary naturally brewed soy sauce of medium saltiness works best. Reduced-salt soy sauce gives a paler colour. Dark soy sauce is thick and slightly sweet and turns the eggs almost black, so add no more than 1-2 tbsp of it to the regular sauce. For a Japanese flavour, replace part of the water with mirin (sweet rice wine); for a Vietnamese one, add 1 tsp of fish sauce.
How long do marinated eggs keep? +
Leave the eggs in the marinade for 1-2 days: after that the whites get very salty. Then take them out and keep them in a closed container in the fridge, and eat them within 3-4 days. Do not reuse the marinade for a new batch of eggs. Throw the eggs away if they smell off or feel slimy. Do not freeze marinated eggs: the whites turn tough and watery.
Can chilli be replaced with black pepper? +
Yes, but the flavour will be milder: chilli gives real heat, black pepper only a gentle bite. Instead of a fresh chilli you can use jalapeño, 1/4 tsp of ground cayenne or 1 tsp of sriracha. If you want no heat at all, add 5 g of freshly grated ginger. For children, leave the pepper out completely.
What goes well with marinated eggs in soy sauce? +
Steamed rice with sesame seeds and spring onion. Grain bowls with Korean-style carrots, pickled radish, edamame or quinoa. Ramen: add the halves to the hot broth just before serving. A festive snack platter with fresh herbs. In salads they replace ordinary boiled eggs.
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