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Japanese

Ajitsuke tamago (ramen eggs)

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

味付け玉子 · ajitsuke tamago

Soft-boiled eggs with jammy, deep-orange yolks, marinated in soy sauce, mirin and sake until the whites turn amber — the classic ramen topping.

Ajitsuke tamago (ramen eggs) is a Japanese egg dish, ready in about 6 hours 20 minutes and made with egg, soy sauce and mirin. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
A mouthwatering bowl of ramen with pork, egg, seaweed, and fresh green onions.
Photo: Connor Scott McManus / Pexels · Pexels License
Prep
10 min
Cook
10 min
Rest
6 h
Total
6 h 20 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
116

Marinate at least 6 hours; overnight is ideal.

Ingredients

6 eggs

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Bring the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), mirin (opens in a new tab), sake (opens in a new tab), water and sugar (opens in a new tab) to the boil in a small pan, simmer 1 minute to cook off the alcohol and cool completely.

    A curry simmering in a pot
    How it looks · Photo: Bachir Mamud on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Bring a pan of water to a rolling boil. Lower the cold eggs (opens in a new tab) in gently with a slotted spoon (opens in a new tab) and boil for exactly 6½ minutes, stirring for the first minute so the yolks set centred.

    Prick the round end with a pin first to help them peel cleanly.

  3. Step 3

    Plunge the eggs (opens in a new tab) into a bowl of iced water for 5 minutes to stop the cooking, then peel carefully under the water.

  4. Step 4

    Put the eggs (opens in a new tab) in a zip bag or small container, pour in the cooled marinade so they are submerged (press out the air or cover with a paper towel) and refrigerate 6–12 hours.

    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  5. Step 5

    Halve lengthways with a thread or a wet knife and serve on ramen, rice bowls or as a snack.

    About this dish

    Origin
    Japan · Commonly attributedA standard topping in Japanese ramen shops; when it first appeared is not recorded.More food from Japan
    Dish
    Lunch · Dinner · Snack · Egg dishes · Side dishes
    Cooking method
    Boiled, Marinated / cured
    Taste
    umami, salty, sweet & savoury
    Diet
    Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb
    All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Ovo-vegetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Pork-free · Beef-free · Low-carb · Low-fat
    Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
    Good for
    Make-ahead · Meal-prep friendly
    Cook more with
    Egg · Soy sauce · Mirin · Sake
    Techniques
    Boiling · Simmering · Marinating · Curing

    Allergens

    • Contains: Eggsfrom egg
    • Contains: Wheatfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Glutenfrom soy sauce
    • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

    Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

    Nutrition

    116 kcal per serving

    Estimated

    1 serving ≈ 195 g · recipe makes 6

    Where the energy comes from

    • Protein 37%
    • Carbohydrate 12%
    • Fat 51%
    Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
    Energy116 kcal60 kcal
    Protein8 g4.1 g
    Carbohydrate2.6 g1.3 g
    Net carbohydrate2.4 g1.3 g
    Sugars0.3 g0.1 g
    Added sugars——
    Fibre0.2 g0.1 g
    Fat4.9 g2.5 g
    Saturated fat1.6 g0.8 g
    Trans fat0 g0 g
    Cholesterol186 mg95 mg
    Sodium1126 mg578 mg
    Salt equivalent2.8 g1.4 g
    Vitamins & minerals per serving
    Potassium
    159 mg
    Calcium
    46 mg
    Iron
    1.2 mg
    Magnesium
    24 mg
    Vitamin A (RAE)
    80 µg
    Vitamin C
    0 mg
    Vitamin D
    1 µg
    Vitamin B12
    0.4 µg
    Folate (DFE)
    26 µg

    How these numbers were made

    • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
    • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
    • Optional ingredients are not included: sugar.
    • Mirin: Sake (FDC 167723) used as a stand-in; true mirin is sweeter, so sugar is underestimated.
    • Ice: Frozen water; same composition as water.
    • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
    • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

    Good to know

    Tips

    • The marinade can be reused once within 3 days for another batch.

    Common mistakes

    • Marinating more than a day — the whites turn rubbery and too salty.

    Food safety

    • Runny or lightly cooked eggs: the UK Food Standards Agency says hen eggs with the British Lion mark or from the Laid in Britain scheme can be eaten lightly cooked by everyone, including young children, pregnant people and older adults (but not people who are severely immunocompromised). Otherwise — and following USDA advice in the US — cook eggs until white and yolk are firm for vulnerable groups, or use pasteurised eggs. Duck, goose and quail eggs should always be cooked through.
    • Keep eggs refrigerated (below 5 °C / 40 °F) and refrigerate cooked egg dishes within 2 hours.

    Storage

    • Keep in the marinade, refrigerated, for up to 3 days.

    Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

    Recipe DNA

    How this dish is built

    Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

    What the dish is built around

    Main ingredient

    • Egg6 piece · 300 g
    Used in step 2

    Reviews & corrections

    Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

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