Ramen egg is a delicious soft boiled egg marinated in a umami rich sauce. It's super easy to make and perfect in a hot bowl of ramen or even to eat on its own as a snack!
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What is Ramen Egg?
Ramen Egg is a boiled egg that is soaked in a delicious marinade made with tsuyu, soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar. The flavour is absorbed into the egg creating a delicious delicacy.
In Japan, we actually never say "ramen egg". Ramen eggs are called "ajitsuke tamago" (味付け卵) which means flavoured egg or "nitamago" (煮卵) which means literally means simmered egg. A regular boiled egg is called "yude tamago" (ゆで卵).
Even though ramen egg is most commonly seen on... (you guessed it) ramen, Japanese people also eat them as a snack. It's easy to buy ramen eggs already flavoured in the supermarket too!
How to cook soft boiled eggs
Ramen eggs are always soft boiled no matter what! It's one of their characteristics! Here is my way to get perfect soft boiled eggs every time!
- Firstly, you will need a pan that fits enough water to completely cover your eggs.
- Bring the water to a gentle rolling boiling and carefully lower your eggs in. (Your eggs should be cold and straight from the fridge.)
- Set the timer for 6-7 minutes (6=very soft, 7= quite soft)
- As soon as the timer is up, you need to put the eggs straight into ice cold water! (Don't forget the ice!!) and that will stop the cooking process.
Leave them for 10 minutes and then they'll be ready to peel!
Ramen Ingredients
Ramen is one of the most popular Japanese foods and is appreciated worldwide. Chewy noodles in a salty broth, topped with an array of tasty ingredients... what's not to love? And there are literally hundreds of types of ramen.
Here are some toppings that you commonly find on ramen:
- Chashu (Braised pork)
- Ajitsuke Tamago (Ramen egg)
- Menma (Fermented & dried bamboo shoots)
- Nori (Roasted seaweed sheet)
- Chopped spring onion
- Narutomaki (Fishcake)
Eat ramen eggs with these recipes!
Ramen eggs are delicious eaten on their own as a snack, but of course the best way to eat them is in a bowl of hot ramen! Check out some of my recipes that are delicious with ramen egg!
Check out our video for How to make homemade ramen egg
Step by step recipe
Ramen Egg Recipe (Nitamago/Ajitsuke Tamago)
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Yield: 4-6 eggs 1x
Description
How to make the perfect ramen egg (ajitsuke tamago/nitamago). Soft boiled egg marinated in a homemade, umami-rich sauce. Serve on top of a delicious bowl of ramen or enjoy on its own as a snack!
Ingredients
- 5 tbsp (75ml) tsuyu sauce
- 5 tsp (25ml) soy sauce
- 5 tbsp (75ml) water
- 5 tsp (25ml) mirin
- 2 tsp (10ml) sake
- 1 tsp (4g) sugar
- A pan of water
- 4-6 medium eggs
- 1 tsp (6g) salt
- A bowl of ice cold water
Instructions
- In a small pan, add 5 tbsp tsuyu, 5 tsp soy sauce, 5 tbsp water, 5 tsp mirin, 2 tsp sake and 1 tsp sugar. Mix and heat on medium high until it starts to boil.
- Allow it to boil for 1-2 minutes to burn off the alcohol and leave to cool.
- Next, bring a pan of water to a rolling boil and mix in 1 tsp salt. (It should be enough water to completely cover the eggs)
- Add the eggs and boil for 6 - 7 minutes to make soft boiled eggs.
- Once the time is up, immediately transfer the eggs into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process.
- Allow the eggs to cool for about 10 minutes and then peel them.
- Once the sauce is cool enough, put the eggs and sauce together in a zip lock bag and store in the fridge for 45 minutes.
- Enjoy with ramen or as a snack!
- Keep the ramen eggs in the fridge for up to 3 days (the flavour gets stronger each day) and discard the sauce after one use.
Notes
You can keep the ramen eggs in the liquid for up to 3 days in the fridge. The taste will get stronger everyday.
Use a ziplock bag rather than a Tupperware to make sure the eggs are fully covered.
We don't recommend reusing the sauce. Discard after use.
You don't need to reheat the eggs, they will become warm in the ramen soup.
If you want to heat them up, place them in warm water that is no hotter than 70 degrees C/ 158 degrees F for a few minutes.
- Prep Time: 45 mins
- Cook Time: 10 mins
- Category: Sides
- Method: Boiling
- Cuisine: Japanese
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FAQ
Ramen egg is a soft boiled egg soaked in a marinade. It's also known as ajitsuke tamago or nitamago.
Ramen egg is made with chicken eggs.
Bring water to a boil, cook the eggs for 6 to 7 minutes and transfer to ice cold water as soon as they're done. See in post for a more detailed explanation.
We usually don't reheat them as you can risk making the yolk too firm. The ramen egg tends to warm up in the ramen soup. If you really want to reheat them, you can place them in hot water, no warmer than 70C/158F to ensure they don't start cooking again.
They should be kept in the fridge and eaten within 3 days.
I wouldn't recommend it. The marinade loses flavour after it's been used anyway. It's better to make a fresh batch.
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