Sweet and Savory Mayak Gyeran Jang (Marinated Soft-Boiled Eggs)
A side dish made by soaking boiled eggs in a sweet and savory soy sauce marinade and chilling them until seasoned.
Translated from Korean by AI and not yet checked by a native speaker. Amounts and numbers are taken directly from the original recipe. Read the Korean original →
This summer side dish skips long simmering over the stove—simply steep boiled eggs in a soy sauce marinade and let them chill in the fridge. Adding Cheongyang chili peppers keeps it from being overwhelmingly spicy while giving it an appetizing sweet-and-spicy kick. After two days or so of refrigeration, the flavor soaks all the way to the center, making it wonderful to mix with rice.
- Servings
- about 4 servings
- Cook time
- 9 minprep not included
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Spiciness
- Mildly spicy
Ingredients
Ingredients
- Egg8
- Onion1/4
- Cheongyang chili pepper (hot green chili)2
- Red chili pepper1
- White part of large green onion (daepa)
- Coarse sea salt1 tbsp
- Vinegar1 tbsp
Seasoning sauce
- Bottled water1 1/2 cups
- Regular soy sauce (jin-ganjang) (or brewed soy sauce (yangjo-ganjang))1/2 cup
- Tuna extract sauce (chamchi-aek)2 tbsp
- Minced garlic1 tbsp
- Mirin (cooking rice wine)2 tbsp
- Corn syrup (mulyeot)2 tbsp
- Sugar2 tbsp
- Toasted sesame seeds1 tbsp
Steps
Prepare the ingredients
Here are 8 eggs. I prepared small amounts of vegetables to go into the marinade.
Finely mince all the vegetables.
Boil the eggs
Bring enough water to fully submerge the eggs to a rolling boil, adding 1 tbsp coarse sea salt and 1 tbsp vinegar.
I am going to boil them soft-boiled.
Carefully lower them in one by one along the edge of the pot.
Once all the eggs are in, boil for 9 minutes and 20 seconds.
When boiling eggs straight from the refrigerator without bringing them to room temperature, 9 minutes and 20 seconds yields a soft-boiled egg.
For a runny soft yolk, boil about 15 seconds less, and for hard-boiled, boil for 9 minutes and 40 seconds.
Rinse quickly in cold water so the residual heat does not cook them further, then place in ice water to cool them completely to the core.
Peel the shells, then rinse once more under running water to remove any clinging bits of shell.
Make the marinade
Add all the marinade ingredients and stir until dissolved, then mix in the minced vegetables and 1 tbsp minced garlic.
Marinate
Once you add the boiled eggs, the amount of marinade fits just right.
Leaving them in the refrigerator for a day or more seasons them nicely, and keeping them for about 2 days lets the flavor penetrate completely to the center.
Finish
Here they are after two days. The soy sauce color has soaked in well.
When placed in a bowl and cut in half, the yolk is slightly overcooked for a soft-boiled egg.
I wish it were a little less cooked, but spooning the marinade and vegetable bits over rice along with a drizzle of perilla oil makes it truly delicious.
It is also great wrapped in dried seaweed sheets (gim) after mixing with rice.
It is simpler than jangjorim, which simmers in hot soy sauce, making it a side dish well worth preparing from time to time.
You can also repurpose any leftover marinade for braised tofu or braised fish.
Ppunwife's tips
- When boiling eggs straight from the refrigerator without bringing them to room temperature, 9 minutes and 20 seconds yields a soft-boiled egg.
- For a runny soft yolk, boil about 15 seconds less, and for hard-boiled, boil for 9 minutes and 40 seconds.
- Rinse quickly in cold water so the residual heat does not cook them further, then place in ice water to cool them completely to the core.
- You can also repurpose any leftover marinade for braised tofu or braised fish.
FAQ
How many minutes does it take to soft-boil eggs straight from the refrigerator?
Placing cold eggs directly into boiling water and boiling for 9 minutes and 20 seconds produces a good soft-boiled egg. Boil about 15 seconds less for a runny yolk, and boil for 9 minutes and 40 seconds for hard-boiled.
How long should the eggs soak in the marinade to absorb the flavor?
Leaving them in the refrigerator for a day or more seasons them nicely, and marinating for about 2 days allows the flavor to soak completely to the center.
How can I use the leftover marinade after eating all the eggs?
Instead of throwing away the remaining soy sauce marinade, you can reuse it as a seasoning for braised dishes such as braised tofu or braised fish.
Is there a way to enjoy it even more deliciously with rice?
Place an egg, some marinade liquid, and the minced vegetable bits over rice, add a light drizzle of perilla oil to mix, or wrap it in roasted seaweed.
